Opposition presidential candidate claims victory

MALE, Maldives — Opposition presidential candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, a longtime but little-known lawmaker in the 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 Commis- sion said official results would not be announced for a week, the period reserved for parties to challenge the results in court.