Colombo- The ruling party was poised to win elections in two of Sri Lanka's nine provinces Saturday in what was widely seen as a prelude to snap parliamentary polls this year.

The voting to select members of provincial councils was being held in the Central and North-Western provinces, where more than 3.4 million voters were registered to vote.

The ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), led by President Mahinda Rajapaksa, has campaigned heavily on the government's military achievements in its ongoing offensive against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam.

Indeed, the UPFA appeared to have the edge because of military victories that have re-established government control in the Eastern Province and almost all of the North Province, areas where the Tigers had until recently held control after fighting for an independent homeland for the Tamil ethnic minority for more than 25 years.

The main opposition United National Party - led by former prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, the opposition leader in parliament - focused on the cost of living, while criticizing the ruling party for misusing military achievements for political gain.

The two provincial elections were held ahead of schedule. Rajapaksa's party won in provincial elections in May and August in three other provinces, including the Eastern Province.

Elections are still to come in three other provinces.

The UPFA government's term ends in April 2010, but Rajapaksa is expected to call for parliamentary elections in the middle of this year to try to extend his government's term for another six years.

Voting ended Saturday evening with an average turnout of 65 per cent. There were no reports of major incidents of violence.

However, the opposition claimed that there were sporadic incidents in which their party's supporters were attacked and intimidated by government supporters, preventing them either from voting or performing election duties at polling booths.

Final results are expected before noon on Sunday (0630 GMT). (dpa)