Maldives elects new President: Abdulla Yameen concedes defeat
Sept 24, 2018 (LBO) – The Maldives, has voted Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the opposition candidate, as the islands new President, foreign media reports said.
Incumbent Abdulla Yameen, conceding defeat said, the citizens of the Maldives had their say and I accept that result.
“I have congratulated him,” media reports quoted the out going President as saying.
Solih won 58 percent of the vote and declared victory as his supporters danced in the streets.
The Maldives, better known for its luxury honeymoon resorts, has been in turmoil since its first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Nasheed, was forced out of office following a police mutiny in 2012.
The trouble only intensified under Yameen, who assumed power following a disputed election the next year.
He has jailed or forced into exile nearly all of his opponents, suspended parliament for long periods of time, and declared two states of emergency after citing threats to national security.
Faced with widespread international criticism, he pulled the Maldives out of the Commonwealth in 2016 and fostered closer ties with China and Saudi Arabia over traditional allies India and the United Kingdom.