Maldives voters throw out China-backed strongman president

Election result is extraordinary rebuke to Abdulla Yameen, who jailed political opponents and judges during a tumultuous five-year term

Voters in the Maldives have thrown out the incumbent president, Abdulla Yameen, in an extraordinary rebuke to a leader who jailed political opponents and judges and drew his country closer to China during a tumultuous five-year term.

With more than 80% of the ballots counted on Sunday night, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, popularly known as Ibu, was ahead by an unassailable 17 points in an election viewed as a referendum on democracy in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

Continue reading...

from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2QTlvlQ
via
0 Comments