A voter gets his finger marked at a polling station in Colombo. (Reuters)

Colombo, April 2 (Reuters): Sri Lankans voted in large numbers today, but there was no indication so far they had broken a political logjam that has frozen efforts to revive a peace bid with the island’s separatist Tamil Tigers.

The parliamentary election — the third in four years — was also one of the calmest in years, with fears of violence and fraud largely unfounded, poll monitors said after voting ended.

“This is the most peaceful election for the last decade. There is such enthusiasm from voters,” said Sunanda Deshapriya from the independent Centre for Monitoring Election Violence.

Election officials around the island said there was heavy turnout, including for Tamils living in rebel-controlled areas, and about three-quarters of the more than 12 million eligible voters are believed to have cast ballots. That comes after pre-election opinion polls showed neither the ruling United National Party (UNP) nor the United People’s Freedom Alliance winning a majority.

Final results for the 6,000 candidates battling for 225 parliament seats were not expected until tomorrow.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga called the election nearly four years early after her political feud with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe escalated. “I appeal to all our countrymen to use their vote freely and not indulge in any provocative acts or undue influence today,” Kumaratunga said.

Wickremesinghe signed a ceasefire with the Tigers two years ago, and the President — who is elected separately — accuses him and the UNP of being too soft on the Tigers.

Voters said they were anxious for the ceasefire to continue. The island has enjoyed its longest period of peace since the Tigers began fighting for an independent state in the north and east in 1983.

More than 64,000 people died in the conflict.

During the two years of calm, the economy rebounded and tourist arrivals increased.

Today, the stock market rose 1.64 per cent on what brokers said were hopes for a win by Wickremesinghe’s pro-business party. “It is an important election because we have to take a firm decision about peace. That’s the most important thing,” said Christine Fernando after voting in Colombo.

Wickremesinghe voted in central Colombo, looking relaxed and dressed in his traditional white, collarless shirt.

“I’m very confident. The peace is the most important issue, the economy itself is linked to the peace,” he said.

Peace talks to bring a permanent end to the war broke down a year ago, but the truce has held.

For many ethnic minority Tamils living in rebel-held areas it was the first chance to vote since the civil war began, and tens of thousands of them waited overnight along the road once known as the Highway of Death for the battles fought over it.

They then crossed into government areas in the morning, where they likely voted for a rebel-backed party that could hold the key to forming the next government if forecasts of a deadlocked parliament come true.

This is the first time that the LTTE have endorsed a party, throwing the movement’s intimidating weight behind the Tamil National Alliance (TNA).

“For the first time since its inception, the LTTE is giving Sri Lanka's dubious democratic mechanisms a try,” said the London-based Tamil Guardian newspaper said.