Male (Maldives): Maldives Opposition candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, has defeated the incumbent China backed President, Abdulla Yameen, by an eyebrow-raising margin of 38,484 votes. The archipelago is at the centre of a see-saw tussle between India and China, both of which want a toehold in the region.
Acknowledging his victory, the 56 year old Opposition legislator who is an old friend of the former President Mohamed Nasheed, promised to establish a peaceful and just society and be a President of all Maldivians in his five year term. Nasheed has many friends in the Indian dispensation. On Monday morning, as questions loomed large over the unease in transition of power, both India and the United States lost no time in putting out a release and a statement congratulating the joint opposition candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Hailing the successful completion of the Presidential election, India’s External Affairs ministry said, “This election marks not only the triumph of democratic forces in the Maldives, but also reflects the firm commitment to the values of democracy and rule of law. In keeping with our ‘Neighbourhood First Policy’, India looks forward to working closely with the Maldives in further deepening our partnership.”
The gentle and easy-going 56 year- old candidate, who was a founder member of the Maldivian Democratic Party, registered the highest victory margin in the island nation’s history. President Yameen, who will continue in office for another 54 days, took two and a half hours after declaration of provisional results to concede defeat but surprised many by assuring a peaceful transition of power.
There had been concerns at home and abroad that Yameen might not accept the outcome. He had borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars from China for an infrastructure blitz, to the alarm of the Maldives’ traditional backer India. The result was a major surprise, with Yameen’s main political rivals either in prison or in exile, media coverage of the opposition sparse and monitors and the opposition predicting the vote would be rigged.
Despite the resounding victory, the Election Commission was slow in endorsing the victory of the Opposition candidate. This was despite the fact that the Opposition candidate gave a victory speech at 11.15 p.m. at the MDP party headquarters near Artificial Beach on Sunday, followed by a victory procession and celebration right in front of the Chinese embassy in Male. This was the same street where both rival groups held rallies on the final day of campaigning on Saturday, separated by a human chain of policemen.
Some voters said that while President Yameen had promoted infrastructure development, that was not enough. They alleged that the citizens were not comfortable with secret deals with China. “Human rights are equally important,” said a middle-aged woman who had come to Billabong High School to cast her vote.
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