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October 8, 2013

Maldives Court Invalidates 1st Round of Voting in Blow to Former President Nasheed 
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In the Maldives, the Supreme Court has rejected results from the first
round of voting in the presidential election, dealing a blow to former
president and environmental advocate Mohamed Nasheed. Nasheed was ousted
last year in what he described as a coup at gunpoint by supporters of
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the Maldives for three decades before
Nasheed became the first democratically elected president in 2008. Last
month, Nasheed won 45 percent of the vote, falling just shy of the bar
to avoid a runoff with his closest rival, Abdulla Yameen, who is
Gayoom's half-brother. On Monday, the court invalidated those results
and called for a new round of voting later this month after the
third-place candidate alleged electoral fraud. Earlier Monday, a group
of masked men broke into a television station known to support Mohamed
Nasheed and set it on fire. Nasheed is known internationally for his
activism against global warming, which he says threatens life on the
small island country. Click here to see our interviews with him.

 

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