The island's trade deficit widened to 1.88 billion dollars in the nine months, up 306 million dollars from a year earlier, the Bank of Sri Lanka said.

The country's oil import bill has been estimated at 1.4 billion dollars this year, compared to 850 million dollars in 2004.

Despite the increase in the trade deficit, Sri Lanka's overall balance of payments showed a 292 million dollar million surplus for the nine months, an increase of 21 percent thanks to overseas remittances and tsunami aid, the central bank said.

The tropical island's 20 billion dollar economy is groaning under the strain of high international oil prices and double-digit inflation as it struggles to recover from the December 26 tsunami.

The figures were released a day ahead of voting in presidential elections seen as a neck-and-neck race between two candidates, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse and opposition leader Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The two presidential candidates are both pledging to spur economic growth as well as end the island's decades-old deadly ethnic conflict.

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