Maldivian presidential election, 2008
Encyclopedia
Presidential elections were held in the Maldives
on October 8 and 28, 2008. On October 8, no candidate gained more than 50% of the vote; a runoff
was held on October 28 between Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
and Mohamed Nasheed
and his running mate, Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan. Nasheed and Dr. Waheed won the election, unseating long time incumbent Gayoom.
The election was the first one held democratically
in the history of the Maldives.
(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 August 7, 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 August 25, 2008, the Maldives National Congress
and the Justice Party
announced that they would support Republican Party
candidate Qasim Ibrahim
. On September 3, 2008, the six candidates participated in a televised debate.
s 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 October 8, 2008 starting at 09:00 local time
(04:00 UTC
), and expecting to end at 20:00 (15:00 UTC). 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 to the ruling Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party and Maldivian Democratic Party
(MDP), were found to be not on the voter list, 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 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.
Voting progressed fairly peacefully, though there were some problems, such as people being not registered, preventing them from voting.
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.
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...
on October 8 and 28, 2008. On October 8, no candidate gained more than 50% of the vote; a runoff
Two-round system
The two-round system is a voting system used to elect a single winner where the voter casts a single vote for their chosen candidate...
was held on October 28 between Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was President of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. After serving as Minister of Transport, he was nominated as President by the Majlis of the Maldives and succeeded Ibrahim Nasir on November 11, 1978. He eventually became the longest-ruling head of government in Asia...
and Mohamed Nasheed
Mohamed Nasheed
Mohamed Nasheed is a Maldivian politician. He is the current President of the Maldives. He is the founder of the Maldivian Democratic Party and was its presidential candidate in the October 2008 presidential election, defeating long-time President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in a second round of voting...
and his running mate, Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan. Nasheed and Dr. Waheed won the election, unseating long time incumbent Gayoom.
The election was the first one held democratically
Democracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
in the history of the Maldives.
Background
The election was initially planned to be held on October 4, but had to be delayed after the MajlisMajlis of the Maldives
The Majlis of the Maldives or the People’s Majlis is the main legislature body of the Maldives. The Majlis has the authority to enact, amend and revise laws, except the constitution of the Maldives. Majlis is composed of 77 members...
(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 August 7, 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 August 25, 2008, the Maldives National Congress
Maldives National Congress
The Maldives National Congress is a political party in the Maldives.The party's interim leader is Mohamed Naeem....
and the Justice Party
Justice Party (Maldives)
The Adhaalath Party is a political party in the Maldives.The Adhaalath Party was registered as a political party in August 2005, when political parties were allowed to operate for the first time following widespread protests for democracy...
announced that they would support Republican Party
Republican Party (Maldives)
The Republican Party is a political party in the Maldives. The party was founded by a group of MPs on May 26, 2008, and grew quickly, rapidly overtaking the Maldivian Democratic Party to become the largest opposition party in the Majlis....
candidate Qasim Ibrahim
Qasim Ibrahim
Qasim Ibrahim is a businessman and politician in the Maldives.It has been claimed that he is also the wealthiest person in the Maldives, with a net worth of approximately $456 million in 2000, according to his interview for the Adduvas Weekly...
. On September 3, 2008, the six candidates participated in a televised debate.
First round
There were 208,252 eligible voters in the Maldives in the first round, which is roughly 60% of the population. There were a total 396 polling stationPolling station
A polling place or polling station is where voters cast their ballots in elections.Since elections generally take place over a one- or two-day span on a periodic basis, often annual or longer, polling places are often located in facilities used for other purposes, such as schools, churches, sports...
s throughout the country. Additionally, registered Maldivians living in Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
, Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram
Thiruvananthapuram , formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland...
, Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
were permitted to vote in Maldivian embassies and consulates.
Voters went to the polls on October 8, 2008 starting at 09:00 local time
UTC+5
UTC+05:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +05:00. This time is used in:-Central Asia:* Kazakhstan** western part - Aktobe Province, Atyrau Province, Mangystau Province, West Kazakhstan Province* Tajikistan* Uzbekistan* Turkmenistan...
(04:00 UTC
Coordinated Universal Time
Coordinated Universal Time is the primary time standard by which the world regulates clocks and time. It is one of several closely related successors to Greenwich Mean Time. Computer servers, online services and other entities that rely on having a universally accepted time use UTC for that purpose...
), and expecting to end at 20:00 (15:00 UTC). 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 to the ruling Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party and Maldivian Democratic Party
Maldivian Democratic Party
The Maldivian Democratic Party is the ruling political party in power of the Maldives. It is a liberal party with its stated goal being the promotion of human rights and democracy in the Maldives. This party won the first ever multi-party elections in the Maldives...
(MDP), were found to be not on the voter list, even though they had registered
Voter registration
Voter registration is the requirement in some democracies for citizens and residents to check in with some central registry specifically for the purpose of being allowed to vote in elections. An effort to get people to register is known as a voter registration drive.-Centralized/compulsory vs...
, 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
Riot control
Riot control refers to the measures used by police, military, or other security forces to control, disperse, and arrest civilians who are involved in a riot, demonstration, or protest. Law enforcement officers or soldiers have long used non-lethal weapons such as batons and whips to disperse crowds...
were deployed after 300 protesters gathered around the central vote-counting location, Nasandhura Palace.
Ahmed Shaheed
Ahmed Shaheed
Ahmed Shaheed is a Maldivian politician. He served as Minister of Foreign Affairs from November 2008 to December 2010; previously, he had served as Minister of Foreign Affairs for two years, from 14 July 2005 until August 20, 2007....
, the independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
vice-presidential nominee said, "It's a disaster... I think there is deliberate tampering." MDP chairwoman Mariya 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
Election monitoring
Election monitoring is the observation of an election by one or more independent parties, typically from another country or a non-governmental organization , primarily to assess the conduct of an election process on the basis of national legislation and international standards. There are national...
from the Commonwealth of Nations
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
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, though there were some problems, such as people being not registered, preventing them from voting.
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 October 9, 2008, 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 October 29, 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.