Twenty other candidates also are contesting, but are unlikely to make an impact with the race narrowing down to a close contest between Mahinda Rajapaksa and Sarath Fonseka.

At the meantime His Grace Archbishop Malcolm Ranjith in a special circular issued on the Presidential Election on 06th January 2010,appealed to the Catholics, " Catholic faithful to vote in whatever way their conscience guides them. One needs to discern carefully before the Lord as to how one is going to exercise this God - given responsibility of deciding who would lead this country into the future. We Catholics need to take into account the principles of faith which govern our way of thinking and our social responsibilities."

His Grace Archbishop Malcolm also appealed to all the candidates, " Besides, I appeal to all the candidates and their supporters to conduct themselves in such a manner as to ensure a free and fair election, where the intelligence of the Sri Lankans is not belittled in any way and their free choice is respected. The candidates themselves should eschew violence, and encourage their supporters to engage in the campaigns devoid of hatred, mud slinging and unethical electoral practices. I call upon the candidates to also take a more proactive stance by explaining to the general public about their plans for this country especially on how they wish to find a lasting political solution to the North and East question, promote and strengthen democracy, freedom of expression and economic development while bridging the gap between the rich and the poor."