MALE, MALDIVES — Maldives strongman President Yameen Abdul Gayoom conceded that he lost Sunday’s election to his challenger, longtime lawmaker Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, in a speech broadcast live on television Monday. "I have accepted the results from yesterday," Yameen said in a televised address to the nation after Sunday's election gave the joint opposition candidate 58.3 percent of the vote. ( HANDOUT / AFP/GETTY IMAGES )The concession and the results were a surprise to Maldives’ opposition, who had feared Yameen would rig the vote in his favour. Since getting elected in 2013, Yameen had cracked down on political dissent, jailing rivals — including his half brother and the Maldives’ first democratically elected president — and Supreme Court justices. The European Union had said that it was not sending election observers because the Maldives had failed to meet the basic conditions for monitoring.

Source: thestar September 24, 2018 16:07 UTC