Sri Lanka president pledges reconciliation, development

* President vows reconciliation, development

* Re-polling for two electorates on April 20

* U.S. congratulates Rajapaksa, urges reconciliation

By C. Bryson Hull

COLOMBO, April 10 (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa promised progress toward reconciliation and development on Saturday, the day after his ruling alliance won a legislative majority that leaves him firmly in control of the nation.

The poll on Thursday brought Rajapaksa his third big victory in 11 months, starting with last May's defeat of the separatist Tamil Tigers after a 25-year war and followed by his landslide re-election in January. ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

For more stories on Sri Lanka's election [nSGE637H03] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

The final count is pending re-polling in two electorates where violence prompted the election commissioner to annul the ballots, but Rajapaksa's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) has 117 of the 180 seats so far decided.

It takes 113 to get a majority in 225-member parliament, and the government is likely to end up with more than 130 seats. Rajapaksa wants 150 so he will have the votes to change the constitution. [ID:nSGE6360KK]

The election commission on Saturday said re-polling will take place on April 20.

Rajapaksa, 64, since the end of the war has said he wanted to get elections out of the way before he tackles ethnic reconciliation between his Sinhalese ethnic majority and the Tamil minority, riven by a half-century of distrust and violence.

"The assured majority in parliament given by the voters encourages the government to proceed with its policies for the strengthening of peace and reconciliation...and the overall development of the country to make it the centre of economic and social progress in South Asia," Rajapaksa said.

The main opposition United National Party (UNP), whose coalition has won 46 seats so far, blamed the government for misusing state resources and said the polls was not free and fair. Election monitors noted minor violence.

U.S. CONGRATULATIONS

The United States Embassy, in a statement, congratulated Rajapaksa and the UPFA for "their historic victory".

"This...provides a mandate to move forward on the important issues the president discussed during the campaign, such as national and ethnic reconciliation, decentralising power, economic development, and securing human rights," it said.

The president's prescription for reconciliation is development and democracy, and he has ruled out the devolution Tamils political actors have demanded. The United States and other Western countries are in favour of decentralising power.

Colombo-Washington relations have been tense since the United States pressed for a ceasefire to protect civilians caught in the war's climax.

Rajapaksa viewed that as an attempt to give the Tamil Tigers a reprieve, and he has angrily rejected Washington's insistence that war crimes be investigated as hypocritical given the civilian deaths in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

Friday's results are expected to give confidence in policy continuity for investors eyeing Sri Lanka as an upcoming frontier market, and provide clarity on Rajapaksa's plans for a $42 billion economy targeting 6.5 percent growth this year.

(Additional reporting by Ranga Sirilal; Editing by Michael Roddy)