Maldives’ President Abdulla Yameen has conceded defeat after a surprise election win for the opposition in a poll that was billed as a test for democracy in the troubled island nation.
Speaking in a televised speech today, Yameen said the citizens of the Maldives had their say and that he accepts that result. The 59-year-old, who presided over a five-year crackdown on dissent, said he met with president-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih at the president’s office shortly before his speech.
The remarks came hours after the National Elections Commission confirmed a decisive victory for Solih, a long time member of parliament, who is representing a coalition of four parties, whose leaders are either in jail or exile.
Yameen, who ran on a platform of defending Maldives’ Islamic faith and boosting the economy, said he will stay on in the presidency until his term ends on November 17.
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