Colombo: Outgoing Maldives President Abdulla Yameen said that he accepted defeat in last month's elections, even as the strongman ruler lobbies the Supreme Court to call a fresh poll. In a televised address to the nation, Yameen made no reference to his controversial legal bid to annul the results of the election he lost despite stifling his opponents. "This is my final address to the nation before I leave," said the 59-year-old whose term in office ends on November 17.
"During my tenure, the most difficult thing for me was my failure to learn about the people. I just couldn't find out what shapes their wishes." Without elaborating further he said that he hoped to "serve the people" after leaving office. Yameen had already conceded defeat, under pressure from abroad, after his opponent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih emerged the winner in the September 23 poll. But last week he filed a petition against the results in the Supreme Court, defying threats of possible sanctions.
SC junks Yameen's petition
The Maldives’ SC on Sunday rejected Yameen’s controversial bid to annul last month’s election results, upholding his landslide defeat to an opposition candidate. The five-judge Supreme Court bench unanimously ruled that Yameen had failed to prove his claim that the election was rigged and a fresh poll was necessary in the Indian Ocean archipelago.Under international pressure, Yameen initially conceded defeat in the September 23 election.
But he then filed an appeal this month, throwing the nation into turmoil and attracting warnings from the US and regional superpower India to respect the outcome. Yameen claimed magic ink had been used to rig the election and that votes marked for him disappeared inside ballot boxes.
Opposition activists celebrated outside the SC after the decision was read out, effectively drawing a line under Yameen’s five years of iron-fisted rule. “After weeks of uncertainty, the Maldivian people can enjoy clarity regarding the outcome of the election,” said President-elect Ibrahim Solih.
The country’s independent Elections Commission, through its lawyers, had argued his petition was based on false allegations and should be dismissed.
