The Elections Commission of Maldives on Saturday officially named Ibrahim Mohamed Solih President-elect, about a week after he dislodged incumbent President Abdulla Yameen in a crucial election that saw a near-90% voter turnout.
The Commission declaring Mr. Solih winner brought relief to Opposition members who feared Mr. Yameen might attempt tampering with the official results before Sunday’s deadline.
Their concern grew after scores of supporters of the outgoing President reportedly complained about not being allowed to vote.
‘Lot of threats’
“We received a lot of threats to delay the announcement following baseless accusations,” Elections Commission chief Ahmed Shareef said, according to the AFP. There were over 400 complaints. However, the complaints bureau and the Commission decided that none would affect the election outcome.
Saturday’s statement confirmed the provisional results put out on Monday. Mr. Solih won with 58.4 % of the ballot, with as many as 1,34,705 votes, while Mr. Yameen obtained 96,502 votes or 41.6 %.
Following the Commission’s official endorsement of his election win, Mr. Solih thanked the people of the Maldives for their “unwavering spirit” and “strength in our struggle for justice and democracy”.
“Today, we are victorious. Congratulations to all who made this happen. I aspire to be a President for all Maldivians and look forward to working with you all,” he tweeted.
The Maldives will now prepare for a leadership transition on November 17, when Mr. Yameen’s five-year, turbulent presidential term officially ends.
Back from the brink
Former President and exiled Opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed said in a tweet: “With this election victory, the members and supporters of the Maldivian Democratic Party have yet again pulled the #Maldives back from the brink of authoritarian rule. Your imagination and hard work will never be forgotten in Maldives’ history.”
Meanwhile, Mr. Yameen managed to retain leadership of the Progressive Party of Maldives, at its first congress since his election defeat held on Friday night. According to media reports, Mr. Yameen was elected uncontested.
