The South Asian nation of Sri Lanka has elected a new president, dealing an unexpected defeat to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, who has ruled the country for nearly a decade. Rajapaksa is credited with defeating the Tamil Tigers in 2009 after a 26-year civil war, but accused of presiding over war crimes in the conflict’s final stages. His opponent, Maithripala Sirisena, who won the election, was acting defense minister in the bloody final days of the conflict.