Solih victorious in Maldives election

MALE, Maldives — Opposition presidential candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, a longtime but little-known lawmaker in Maldives, declared victory early Monday in a contentious election widely seen as a referendum on the island nation’s young democracy.

Solih’s win, announced at his party’s campaign headquarters in the capital city of Male, was unexpected. The opposition had feared the election would be rigged in favor of strongman President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, whose first term was marked by a crackdown on political rivals, courts and the media.

Supporters, draped in the Maldivian flag, flooded the streets, hugging one another, cheering and honking horns to celebrate Solih’s victory. He had 58.3 percent of the vote, with nearly 97.5 percent of ballots counted just after midnight Monday, according to independent newspaper website mihaaru.com. Election watchdog Transparency Maldives tweeted that Solih had won “by a decisive margin.”

Yameen’s campaign did not concede the race, and no one from the campaign could immediately be reached for comment.

A spokesman for Maldives’ Election Commission said official results would not be announced for a week, the period reserved for parties to challenge the results in court.

Solih, surrounded by thousands of his supporters, urged calm until the commission had announced the results.

“I would like to tell President Yameen, the people have spoken so please accept defeat,” Solih said, adding that he had spoken to Maldivian police, who were “with the people” and had accepted the result.

In his victory speech, Solih, among the founders of the main opposition party, the Maldivian Democratic Party, called the election results “a moment of happiness, hope and history,” adding that he did not think the election process had been transparent.