Colombo, April 10 (Inditop.com) Hailing the victory of Sri Lanka’s ruling coalition, the US has urged President Mahinda Rajapksa to go for national reconciliation promised during the election campaign.

A statement from the US embassy congratulated Rajapaksa and the United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA) “for their historic victory in the first nationwide parliamentary election in decades.

“This victory, coupled with the president’s win in January’s contest, provides a mandate to move forward on the important issues the president discussed during the campaign,” it said.

These included “national and ethnic reconciliation, decentralizing power, economic development, and securing human rights. “We look forward to working with the newly elected Sri Lankan government.”

Sri Lankans went to the polls Thursday in the first parliamentary election since the rout of the Tamil Tigers in May last year.