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Last Updated: Oct 28th, 2008 - 17:57:18 |
MALE (Reuters) - The Maldives archipelago holds its first multiparty president election Wednesday, in a vote seen as a referendum on President's Maumoon Abdul Gayoom's 30 year-rule on islands famed for their luxury resorts.
Asia's longest-serving leader is seeking a seventh term running the archipelago of 300,000 mostly Sunni Muslims, which in the past he has been accused of ruling like a personal sultanate -- a form of government abolished there in 1968.
The poll in the sleepy Maldives, best known as a tropical luxury hideaway for Hollywood stars, is the culmination of years of agitation for democratic reforms which Gayoom, 71, finally signed into law in August.
"No one thought we could have a multi-party election here, until we introduced the reform agenda," Gayoom said at a news conference on the eve of the vote.
Despite some fears of rigging and minor threats against political figures earlier this week, the archipelago of 1,196 islands located 800 km (500 miles) off the tip of India was mostly calm after campaigns finished Tuesday night.
Wednesday's election starts at 9 a.m. (12:00 a.m. EDT) at nearly 400 polling stations spread out across the archipelago's 200 inhabited atolls and on some islands with luxury resorts.
Many Maldivians complain that a small political elite has grown rich from tourism, which is the linchpin of the $850 million economy and accounts for 28 percent of GDP.
Diplomats hope the poll will be an example of a peaceful and fair democratic election in a Muslim majority nation, with a non-violent transition should power change hands.
"The atmosphere is not much changed from normal. People are expecting a little bit of problems, but there will be a second round and that's where there will be problems," a Western diplomat observing the polls said on condition of anonymity.
The electoral commission says 209,000 people have registered to vote.
Most Maldivians expect a runoff, with Gayoom and his longtime opposition nemesis Mohamed Nasheed tipped as favorites, and are skeptical the poll will proceed without bribery and vote-rigging.
A runoff date will be announced if no candidate gets 50 percent of the vote. Gayoom Tuesday promised to hand over power peacefully if he loses.
Nasheed, known as Ani, has been charged dozens of times by Gayoom's government in what human rights watchdogs say are trumped-up cases, the latest of which was dropped just last month after prosecutors admitted a lack of evidence.
Gayoom drew international criticism after a heavy-handed crackdown on pro-democracy protesters, which eventually led to his signing into law a new constitution last month that established an independent judiciary and electoral body.
It also abolished the old style of voting for president, where a parliament-approved candidate stood in a referendum. Those elections saw Gayoom returned to power six times with what he said was over 90 percent of the vote.
Whoever wins will inherit two major challenges -- sustaining an economy dependent on tourism and fishing, and rising sea levels.
A U.N. climate change panel is predicting seas are likely to rise up to 59 cm (2 ft) by 2100, and most of the Maldives' islands are no higher than 1.5 m (4 feet) above sea level.
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