Updated 0730 GMT
Sri Lanka’s former president Mahinda Rajapaksa reportedly conceded defeat in the island’s general elections and stated he will be an opposition member of parliament.
AFP reports Mr Rajapaksa as saying:
"My dream of becoming prime minister has faded away… I am conceding. We have lost a good fight".
However, just hours later, Mr Rajapaksa's official Twitter account refuted the comments, tweeting, "Mahinda Rajapaksa hasn’t yet received official final results of #GenElecSL to accept victory or concede defeat."
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Polls closed on Monday and the votes are still being counted, with several districts across the island yet to announce results.
More to follow.
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