Mohamed Nasheed, leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party, won the Oct. 28 election, ending Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's 30 years in power. Gayoom, 71, became president in November 1978 and held office for six consecutive terms in elections in which he was the only candidate. He was last elected on Oct. 17, 2003, according to the government.
The Maldives, a group of 1,190 coral islands with a population of almost 386,000 people, approved a democratic system of government ensuring greater political freedom in a vote in August 2007. About 198 of the islands, spread across 900 kilometers (540 miles) to the southwest of India, are inhabited.
Nasheed and Gayoom pledged to carry out a peaceful change of government after the ballot. Ban said they should ``continue to work together to ensure a smooth transition of power,'' according to the UN's Web site.
Nasheed, 41, a former political prisoner under Gayoom, said yesterday he will hold mid-term elections, the Press Trust of India reported. This will allow opposition leaders a chance to aspire to leadership and help democracy, which ``is at a nascent stage'' in the Maldives, he said.
Living Standards
Nasheed said his priority is to ensure a better standard of living in the country where 21 percent of the people live below the poverty line, according to U.S. government data. He also ruled out any vendetta against the previous government, according to PTI.
Gayoom, Asia's longest-serving leader, transformed the country into a popular tourist destination. The industry, accounting for 28 percent of gross domestic product, is now the nation's largest having overtaken fishing.
During his rule, Gayoom overcame at least three coup attempts and survived an attack by a knife-wielding youth in January this year. He banned radical Islamic clerics in the liberal Sunni Muslim nation.
Nasheed won 54.2 percent of the vote in the election and Gayoom 45.8 percent, according to government figures released on Oct. 29.
Courtesy: Paul Tighe, Bloomberg
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