The Maldives Supreme Court on Sunday rejected a petition by outgoing President Abdulla Yameen to annul the September presidential election, clearing the way for transfer of power to joint opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Mr. Yameen’s claim that the poll was rigged was not substantiated with evidence, the five-member bench ruled, underscoring the comfortable majority that Mr. Solih won in the high-stakes election.
“After weeks of uncertainty, the Maldivian people can finally enjoy clarity regarding the outcome of the election,” Mr. Solih said in a statement. The petition to annul the election was “frivolous” from the start. It spoke more about an “inability in some quarters to accept defeat, than any genuine concerns about the vote”, he said.
Many Maldivians feared that the September 23 poll may not be free and fair, given Mr. Yameen’s authoritarian tendencies. However, the election was largely peaceful, with complaints mostly pertaining to a rather slow voting process that forced people to wait in long queues for hours.
Swearing-in in Nov.
Soon after the results were out — Mr. Solih won 58.4 % of the vote — Mr. Yameen publicly conceded defeat, but about a fortnight later, his Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) filed a legal petition contesting the outcome, claiming the vote was “rigged”. Following Sunday’s Supreme Court ruling, Male will now prepare for the swearing-in ceremony in November.
Meanwhile, Mr. Solih’s Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) has sought a travel ban on Mr. Yameen, so that he can face investigations into alleged graft cases. “A travel ban against President Yameen must be instituted. There are several cases pending investigation, including cases of corruption,” MDP Chairman Hassan Latheef told mediapersons, according to a Reuters news report.
After Maldivians voted for change, dissident Opposition leaders, who were either jailed by Mr. Yameen or in exile, are hopeful of release and return. Last week, a Maldivian court overturned the jail term of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, a month after Mr. Yameen, his estranged half-brother, lost the election. Exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed has vowed to return to Male on November 1 “come what may”.
Published - October 21, 2018 06:27 pm IST
