Dirty tricks and drama as voting under way in Maldives presidential election
The opposition candidate’s office was raided on the eve of the election.
23 Sep 2018, 9:00 AM
Voting was under way Sunday in the Maldives presidential election with the incumbent seeking to maintain his grip on power for the next five years, as observers and voters raised concerns about access and procedures.
President Abdulla Yameen is being challenged by the veteran opposition lawmaker Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Both men cast their votes within hours of the polls opening, although Solih appeared chirpier than his thunder-faced rival.
Dozens of people had gathered outside ballot centres before they opened in Malé and also in Colombo, which is home to a sizeable diaspora, and pictures of voting lines quickly flooded social media.
A Maldives Independent reporter at the scene in Kuala Lumpur estimated the crowd size to be in the hundreds, observing that the ruling party’s signature colour of hot pink was visible on the embassy building’s exterior.
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