Lankan presidential election a 2-horse race

Sri Lanka's Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse (R) shake hands with his main opponent Ranil Wickremesinghe as they await their turn to hand in nomination papers yesterday to elections commissioner Dayananda Dissanayake (C, background) to contest next month's presidential elections. A total of 13 candidates are in the race, but the two men are expected to be in a straight face off for the top job. PHOTO: AFP

Rajapakse was among the first to formalise his nomination at the Elections Secretariat in suburban Colombo, speeding through emptied streets under the guard of armed soldiers on motorbikes.

The government has increased security around the capital in the run up-to the Nov. 17 election as the August assassination of the foreign minister by suspected Tamil Tiger rebels looms large over a 2002 ceasefire that halted two decades of civil war.

"I will bring peace and prosperity to the country, so people can live without fear and suspicion," Rajapakse told reporters on arrival. "I want to alleviate poverty."