In Sri Lanka, a Tamil Election Victory

Elections in the Tamil-dominated Northern Province are over, and the ethnic Tamil National Alliance has won 30 of 38 seats on the Provincial Council. The landslide victory raises the prospect of newly emboldened calls for Tamil autonomy in the north. With the Tamil National Alliance's win, Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa will need to balance the need to negotiate with the Tamil National Alliance with Colombo's imperative for security and territorial integrity. Rajapaska will also need to avoid granting too many concessions to promote Tamil autonomy, which would mobilize his Sinhalese base.