US and EU welcome dismissal of election challenge

The United States and European Union have welcomed the Supreme Court decision to reject President Abdulla Yameen’s petition to order fresh polls, ending weeks of uncertainty over the transfer of power.

Robert Hilton, the chargés d’affaires at the US embassy, said the country was looking forward to working with president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih after his inauguration in November.

“It’s a new and positive era for the Maldives,” he tweeted.

The Supreme Court decision on Sunday “respects the will of the people and paves the way for an orderly transfer of power,” said the EU delegation to the Maldives.

“We look forward to working with the future government of Maldives and expect the full restoration of democratic institutions.”

Yameen petitioned the court to annul the September 23 election despite conceding hours after provisional results were announced.

He lost by a record margin of over 38,600 votes.

The apex court ruled there was no evidence to substantiate the claims of vote-rigging with disappearing ink, vanishing checkmarks and “pen rings.”

In a statement welcoming the anxiously awaited judgment, president-elect Solih said “the Maldivian people can finally enjoy clarity over the outcome of the election.”

President Yameen’s petition to annul the election was “frivolous from the start and spoke more about an inability in some quarters to accept defeat than any genuine concerns about the vote.”

He called on the outgoing president to “accept the will of the people” and facilitate the transition.

Jumhooree Party leader Gasim Ibrahim, one of the four leaders of the coalition that won power, praised the Supreme Court justices for “proving that justice is alive.”