Mr. Mahinda Rajapaksa, president of Sri Lanka, has been re-elected. Mr. Rajapaksa's victory was expected following the government's victory last year over the Tamil Tigers, ending a 26-year insurgency. Peace on the island opens the door to long-delayed economic development, a key to enduring stability. But peace also requires reconciliation and the creation of a government that represents all of Sri Lanka's citizens. It is not yet clear if the Tamil minority will escape their status as second-class citizens.

Sri Lanka's sixth presidential election was the first not to be overshadowed by war. It is only a little ironic, then, that the two leading candidates, Mr. Rajapaksa and Mr. Sarath Fonseka, a retired army general, both ran on their war records. Mr. Fonseka led the military operation against the Tamil Tigers. To distinguish himself from his commander in chief, Mr. Fonseka courted the Tamil vote, arguing that he would heal the ethnic divisions that have long poisoned Sri Lankan politics. He appealed to the Sinhalese majority by denouncing the concentration of power in the president's family — one brother is the secretary of defense, another is a senior adviser and others work in senior government posts. That criticism is especially biting in a country where the annual cost of corruption is estimated at more than $3 billion — a substantial amount for an economy of $40.7 billion.

Mr. Rajapaksa prevailed by a substantial margin — he is estimated to have won 58 percent of the popular vote, with Mr. Fonseka attracting 40 percent.