Maldives President Yameen challenges result of presidential poll in Supreme Court

The president of the Maldives, Abdulla Yameen, filed a petition in the Supreme Court on Wednesday, challenging his defeat in last month’s election. Yameen conceded defeat after an official count showed joint opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had polled 16.8 percent more votes. But opposition members have worried about a smooth transition of power, due on November 17. Yameen’s supporters had complained about rigging of votes and fraudulent ballot papers, his lawyer Mohamed Saleem said after approaching the top court. “President Yameen did not want to let this go as the concern is about the rights of his supporters,” the lawyer said. Yameen ran the islands with an iron hand, jailing political opponents and Supreme Court justices. In February, he declared a state of emergency to annul a court ruling that quashed the convictions of nine opposition leaders, including former president Mohamed Nasheed.