Sri Lanka's President-elect Gotabaya Rajapaksa waves at his supporters as he leaves the election commission office in Colombo, Sri Lanka on November 17, 2019. Photo: IC

Gotabaya Rajapaksa, who spearheaded the crushing of the Tamil Tigers 10 years ago, stormed to victory on Sunday in Sri Lanka's presidential elections, seven months after Islamist extremist attacks killed 269 people.

Rajapaksa conducted a nationalist campaign with a promise of security and a vow to crush religious extremism in the Buddhist-majority country following the April 21 suicide bombings blamed on a homegrown jihadi group.

His older brother Mahinda Rajapaksa was president of the country in 2005-15.

Mahinda, with Gotabaya effectively running the security forces, ended a 37-year civil war with Tamil separatists. 

Gotabaya, a retired lieutenant colonel, 70, nicknamed the "Terminator" by his own family, romped to victory with 52.25 percent of the vote, according to final official results announced by the election commission.

Rajapaksa's main rival among a record 35 candidates, Sajith Premadasa of the ruling party, trailed on 41.99 percent, and the 52-year-old conceded the race and congratulated Rajapaksa.

Saturday's poll was the first popularity test of the United National Party government of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Wickremesinghe's administration failed to prevent the April attacks despite prior and detailed intelligence warnings from India, according to a parliamentary investigation.