Maldives election body endorses opposition leader's victory

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The Elections Commission of Maldives on Saturday officially declared opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih winner of the country's national election, defeating president Abdulla Yameen who had sought a delay in publication of the final results.

The Election Commission (EC) Secretary General Salah Rasheed said Solih's Maldivian Democratic Party had won by a 16.8 percent margin, with an 89.2 percent voter turnout.

EC chief Ahmed Shareef said the commission had received 423 complaints about the election by Thursday, of which 194 were outstanding.

Maldives election commission officials prepare ballot papers for counting votes at a polling station at the end of the presidential election day in Male, September 23, 2018. /VCG Photo

"The Complaints Bureau and the Commission have decided that none of the complaints filed with the commission will affect the outcome of the election," the chief told reporters in the capital Male.

He said all five election commissioners had received threatening telephone calls after Sunday's election.

"We also received several phone calls in which we (the commissioners) were threatened with physical harm. We did not respond to it because the state's security services were providing security arrangements for all the commissioners."

The police and military have said they will uphold the result of the election.

Yameen, conceded defeat on Monday, took just 96,502 votes or 41.6 percent, Shareef said.

Solih was backed by four opposition parties, three of which had supported Yameen in a controversial 2013 run-off that saw the country's first democratically elected leader Mohamed Nasheed lose narrowly.

Solih is set to be sworn in on November 17 when Yameen's term comes to an end.

(Cover: Opposition leader of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih arrives at an event with supporters in Male, September 24, 2018. /VCG Photo)

(With input from Reuters, AFP)