Gotabaya Rajapaksa on Sunday thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the warm wishes on his victory in the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential elections.
"I thank Prime Minister @narendramodi and the people of India for your warm wishes. Our two nations are bound by history and common beliefs and I look forward to strengthening our friendship and meeting you in the near future," Rajapaksa wrote on Twitter.
Rajapaksa, the younger brother of former president Mahinda Rajapaksa, won 51.9 per cent of the vote as his main rival Sajith Premadasa conceded defeat with 41.8 per cent votes, according to official polls released so far in the 2019 presidential election.
"As we usher in a new journey for Sri Lanka, we must remember that all Sri Lankans are part of this journey. Let us rejoice peacefully, with dignity and discipline in the same manner in which we campaigned," the President-elect said.
Although official victory is not confirmed yet, the ruling party candidate Minister Sajith Premadasa earlier conceded defeat and congratulated his rival Rajapaksa on his election as the seventh President of Sri Lanka.
Gotabaya Rajapaksa will be sworn in as the 7th President of Sri Lanka tomorrow morning, November 18, in Anuradhapura, his party sources confirmed to Colombopage.