In a huge setback for Maldives President Abdulla Yameen, opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has won the Maldives' presidential election, the results of which were released on Monday.
Yameen's defeat came as a surprise as campaign observers said the elections were rigged in the strongman's favour. Results released by the Elections Commission early on Monday morning showed Solih had secured 58.3 per cent of the popular vote.
“This is a moment of happiness, a moment of hope. This is a journey that has ended at the ballot box because the people willed it,” Solih said in Male.
“The message is loud and clear. The people of Maldives want change, peace and justice. I would like to call on President Yameen to accept the will of the people and begin a smooth transition of power as per the constitution,” he added.
Supporters of Solih's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) were on the streets, breaking into celebrations across the tropical archipelago. Yameen is yet to issue his response to the results.
Solih had the backing of a united opposition trying to oust Yameen but struggled for visibility with the electorate, with the local media fearful of falling afoul of heavy-handed decrees and reporting restrictions. There were also no other candidates at Sunday's election held with all key dissidents either in jail or exile.
India on Monday congratulated Solih on his victory in the presidential polls in the Maldives and said the election reflected the country's commitment to the values of democracy and the rule of law.
India also hoped that the Maldivian Election Commission will officially confirm the result at the earliest.
"We welcome the successful completion of the third presidential election process in the Maldives which, according to preliminary information, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has won," the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said.
"We heartily congratulate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on his victory and hope that the Election Commission will officially confirm the result at the earliest," it said.
Interestingly, earlier on Sunday night, Solih had called on Yameen to concede defeat after the tally showed he had an unassailable lead. "I call on Yameen to respect the will of the people and bring about a peaceful, smooth transfer of power," he said on television.
He also urged the incumbent to immediately release scores of political prisoners, jailed by Yameen. Yameen had also forced into exile almost all of his main rivals.
Before the polls opened, police raided the campaign headquarters of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and searched the building for several hours in a bid to stop what they called "illegal activities". There were no arrests.
Mohamed Nasheed, the head of the MDP, said the vote would "bring the country back to the democratic path".
Yameen would have no option but to concede defeat, said Nasheed, who was elected president of a newly-democratic Maldives in 2008 but currently lives in exile. "He will not have people around him who will support him to fight on and stay," he had told news agency AFP.
The polls were closely watched by regional rivals India and China, who are jostling to influence Indian Ocean nations. The European Union and United States, meanwhile, have threatened sanctions if the vote is not free and fair.
Many voters across the Indian Ocean archipelago said they stood in line for over five hours to cast their ballots, while expatriate Maldivians voted in neighbouring Sri Lanka and India.
(With inputs from agencies)