International   

A long wait for the “prisoner of conscience”

— Photo: AFP

Change of guard: Maldivian President-elect Mohamed ‘Anni’ Nasheed (right) greets the outgoing President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom (left), at a press conference in Male on Wednesday.

Male: The run-off election in Maldives is the culmination of years of agitation for democratic reforms on the string of 1,192 mostly uninhabited coral atolls 800 km off the tip of India, with a population of 3,00,000 Sunni Muslims.

With the country’s international reputation as a diving hotspot and luxury hideaway for Hollywood stars and others ready to pay thousands of dollars for a night’s stay, the outgoing President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, had been criticised for ruling like a personal sultanate.

After early returns showed the challenger Mohamed Nasheed ahead, many of his supporters lined the seawall in the capital, Male, to celebrate in the early morning sun. He was at the forefront of the campaign for democracy, including the 2004 protests that prompted a brutal crackdown by security forces and drew rare international criticism, and attention, to the hideaway islands.

Mr. Gayoom won the October 9-10 first-round election, but fell short of the 50 per cent needed to avoid a run-off. It was the first time Mr. Gayoom had faced opposition at the polls since first being elected in 1978. In each of his six previous votes, he stood alone for a yes-no nod from voters and said he was re-elected by more than 90 per cent each time.

This time, 86 per cent of the tiny nation’s more than 2,09,000 registered voters cast their ballots. Although there were complaints about registration and fraud as in the first round, poll observers praised the exercise.

Mr. Nasheed will also inherit a presidency with far fewer powers, thanks to the very changes for which he campaigned. Mr. Nasheed, who spent six years in jail and was described by Amnesty International as a “prisoner of conscience,” was granted political asylum by the U.K. in 2004.

He returned to the country on April 30, 2005 after Mr. Gayoom permitted political parties to be formed for first time.

Hailing the election of Mr. Nasheed as a “historic” occasion, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh assured him of India’s commitment to “further strengthening and deepening of relations’ between the two countries.

“This is a historic occasion for the people of the Maldives. As Maldives enters a new era of democracy, I am confident that Maldives will attain even greater heights under your leadership and stewardship,” said Mr. Singh in his congratulatory message to the President-elect of Maldives.

“I wish to assure you of India’s commitment to the further strengthening and deepening of our relations with the Maldives. I look forward to working with you towards this end for mutual benefit of our two peoples,” he said. — Agencies

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Syria demands U.S. apology
Boat breaks Gaza blockade
A long wait for the “prisoner of conscience”
170 people die in Pakistan quake
LTTE breaches Colombo security
British Indian jailed for credit card fraud
Iran sets up naval base in Persian Gulf
U.N. chief: Nepal parties must join hands
Russia ratifies treaty with breakaway regions

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu