Maldives leader blames defeat on ‘disappearing ink’

MALÉ: Outgoing Maldives President Abdulla Yameen says disappearing ink and specially treated ballot papers were to blame for his heavy election defeat last month.

The strongman leader of the honeymoon island nation had been expected to romp home in the Sept 23 polls, with opposition leaders jailed or exiled, and warnings that he would try to fix the vote.

But in a surprise turn of events, a littleknown united opposition candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, was declared the winner, sparking celebrations across the tropical holiday destination.

Yameen initially said he accepted defeat, and was ready to step down when his term ends on Nov 17.

But last week he launched a Supreme Court challenge, seeking to annul the result.

At a hearing on Sunday which resumed yesterday, Yameen’s lawyer accused the printer of coating ballot papers with an unnamed substance to make votes marked in Yameen’s box vanish.

Mohamed Saleem said a “special pen with disappearing ink” had been given to people who were going to vote for his client, a reporter at the hearing said.

A lawyer for the Elections Commission, which Yameen accused of colluding with the printer to ensure his defeat, on Sunday denied any wrongdoing, including using any special ink. – AFP