Maldives President Abdulla Yameen loses bid to annul poll result

The Maldives' top court has unanimously rejected a bid by outgoing President Abdulla Yameen to annul results of a presidential election held in September.

The Supreme Court said on Sunday the president failed to substantiate claims of fraud and found there was "no constitutional basis to overturn the election and order a new poll", according to a court document.

Yameen, who presided over a five-year crackdown targeting political rivals, media and rights activists, lost the September 23 election by a margin of 16 percent to opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in an outcome hailed as a victory for democracy in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

The 59-year-old leader initially conceded defeat, but later filed a complaint at the Supreme Court, alleging elections officials used "disappearing ink", ring-shaped pens, and fraudulent ballot papers to rig the vote in his opponent's favour.

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/10/maldives-president-abdulla-yameen-loses-bid-annul-poll-result-181021100836322.html