COLOMBO (Reuters) - Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa could hold a snap election in January, nearly two years before he has to, a close ally said, amid signs his popularity is fading among people who criticise his party for abusing power.
Rajapaksa, 68, came to power in 2005 and retained the presidency in 2010 on a wave of popularity after the military defeated Tamil Tiger separatists in 2009, ending a 26-year-old civil war.
