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2008 Maldivian presidential election

← 2003 8 October 2008 (first round) 28 October 2008 (second round) 2013 →
Turnout	85.38% (first round) 86.58% (second round)
Nominee Mohamed Nasheed Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Party MDP DRP Running mate Mohammed Waheed Hassan Ahmed Thasmeen Ali Popular vote 97,222 82,121 Percentage 54.21% 45.79%
President before election Maumoon Abdul Gayoom DRP Elected President Mohamed Nasheed MDP

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Presidential elections were held in the Maldives on 8 and 23 October 2008, the first democratic elections in the country. As no candidate won a majority in the first round, a runoff was held on 28 October between the two candidates among the contestants who received the most votes, incumbent president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed, who received the second most votes after Gayoom in the first round. Nasheed was elected to the office after winning a majority in the runoff, unseating incumbent president Gayoom who held the office for six terms, lasting three decades.

Background

The election was initially planned to be held on 4 October, but had to be delayed after the Majlis (national assembly) did not pass necessary reforms on time.

The incumbent, President Gayoom, in power since 1978, ran for another five-year term. According to the new Constitution, which came into effect on 7 August 2008, Gayoom had served the maximum number of terms allowed (two). He argued that since the election was held under a new constitution, the previous terms did not count toward the limit. The Supreme Court agreed that the limited terms were to be served "under this Constitution" and that Gayoom was therefore eligible to run in the election.

On 25 August 2008 the Maldives National Congress and the Adhaalath Party announced that they would support Jumhooree Party (Republican Party) candidate Qasim Ibrahim. On September 3, 2008, the six candidates participated in a televised debate.

Electoral system

The Maldives has a presidential system of government where the president is both head of state and government. Once in office, they could be re-elected to a second 5-year term, which is the limit allowed by the Constitution.

In the Maldives, the president is elected by a majority or more than fifty (50%) percent of the votes cast. When a candidate does not receive a majority of the votes, the election then proceeds to a runoff (or second round), which are mandated to be held no less than 21 days following the election. In a runoff round, the candidates among the two who receives fifty (50%) percent of the valid votes cast, are elected to the office of the president.

The official results of the voting are announced by the Elections Commission and published in the government gazette within seven days of the voting day of the presidential elections.

Conduct

First round

There were 208,252 eligible voters in the first round, roughly 60% of the population. There were a total 396 polling stations throughout the country. Additionally, registered Maldivians living in Colombo, Thiruvananthapuram, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore were permitted to vote in Maldivian embassies and consulates.

Voters went to the polls on 8 October starting at 09:00 and expecting to end at 20:00. The elections were peaceful, though voting irregularities prevented some voters from voting. Lines to polling stations were long on some islands, with waits sometimes exceeding six hours. A number of citizens, especially of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), were found to be not on the voter lists, even though they had registered, and some islands did not even receive voter lists. Later, the election committee said that anyone could vote, as long as he or she showed an ID card that was valid. A handful of riot police were deployed after 300 protesters gathered around the central vote-counting location, Nasandhura Palace.

Ahmed Shaheed, the independent vice-presidential nominee said, "It's a disaster... I think there is deliberate tampering." MDP chairwoman Mariya Ahmed Didi, who incidentally registered but was not on a voter list, echoed similar concerns: "We hoped that once in our lifetime we could vote freely, but today we are being denied our right to vote."

Election observers from the Commonwealth of Nations issued an interim report stating that the first round of the election was "reasonably credible" but that there were some problems with the voter list and training of officials and educating voters.

Second round

In the second round, 209,294 people were eligible to vote. There was a total of 403 polling stations across the Maldives. Registered voters were also able to cast ballots at Maldivian embassies and diplomatic missions in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom.

Voting progressed fairly peacefully although there were some problems, such as people not being registered which prevented them from voting.

Results

First round

Six candidates competed in the first multi party election ever held in the Maldives. Early results indicated that there would be a runoff between Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed and his running mate, Dr. Waheed; on the morning of 9 October the results showed Gayoom ahead with 40.3% against Nasheed and Dr. Waheed's 24.9%. Those results stayed the same, and the four other candidates were eliminated, so a runoff between Gayoom and Nasheed was necessary. Although Gayoom failed to win in the first round, as he had hoped, he expressed satisfaction with his score. According to Gayoom, the results showed that he was the Maldives' "most popular public figure", and he said that he was poised for victory in the second round.

Second round

Following the first round results, it was announced that the second round would be held on 29 October, although election law provided for the second round to be held within 10 days of the first. Election Commissioner Mohamed Ibrahim said that this later date would give the candidates more time to campaign and would give the electoral commission more time "to correct issues with the voter registry".

Third-place finisher Hassan Saeed, a former attorney-general, threw his support to Nasheed and Dr. Waheed for the second round. Ibrahim Ismail also backed Nasheed and Dr. Waheed, and the other two candidates were expected to vouch for Nasheed as well.

See also

• List of Maldivian vice presidential candidates

References

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4. "Maldives president loses election". The Sydney Morning Herald. Agence France-Presse. 29 October 2008. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
5. "Elections Slated For 4 October". Minivan Daily. 2008-09-08. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
6. "Maldives elections 'are delayed'". BBC News. 10 September 2008. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
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11. "Presidential Q&A: What The Candidates Said". Minivan Daily. 2008-09-04. Retrieved 2008-09-06.
12. "Constitution of the Maldives" (PDF). The President's Office. p. 51. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
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14. ^ "Election Commission urges for a free and peaceful election". Miadhu Daily. 8 October 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 8 October 2008.
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16. Evans, Judith (8 October 2008). "Maldives hold historic presidential poll". Reuters. Archived from the original on 28 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
17. Pasricha, Anjana (8 October 2008). "Maldives Holds Its First Democratic Presidential Election". Voice of America. Archived from the original on 13 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
18. ^ Nessman, Ravi (8 October 2008). "Maldives votes in first democratic election". Google News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 12 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
19. ^ "Maldives opposition says poll rigged". Taipei Times. Agence France-Presse. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
20. ^ Lang, Olivia; Rasheed, Zaheena (2008-10-08). "Elections May Be Called Off". Minivan Daily. Retrieved 2008-10-09.
21. Arthur, Owen (10 October 2008). "2008 Maldives Presidential Election - Interim Statement". Commonwealth of Nations. Archived from the original on 23 October 2008. Retrieved 28 October 2008.
22. ^ "Maldivians vote in run-off election". Miadhu Daily. 2008-10-28. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
23. Evans, Judith (9 October 2008). "Early Morning Unofficial Results Suggest Gayoom-Anni Runoff". Minivan Daily. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
24. "Gayoom faces run-off in Maldives". BBC News. 9 October 2008. Archived from the original on 19 April 2024. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
25. ^ Nessman, Ravi (9 October 2008). "Maldives leader faces runoff in 1st free election". KOHD. Associated Press. Archived from the original on 13 July 2011. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
26. ^ "Maldives run-off vote set for October 29". Google News. Agence France-Presse. 10 October 2008. Archived from the original on 20 May 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2008.
27. Rasheed, Zaheena (10 October 2008). "Anni Says Whole Opposition Is Behind Him". Minivan Daily. Archived from the original on 10 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.

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