Two years ago, tens of thousands of Sri Lankans rose up against their president and forced him to flee the country.

Scarred by a decades-long civil war and struggling to survive in Sri Lanka's crippled economy, ethnic minority Tamils in the island nation say they have little hope that Saturday's presidential election will improve their lot by much.

Millions of Sri Lankans will head to the polls on Saturday to elect the island country's president. More than 17 million voters are eligible to cast ballots to elect a president for a five-year term.