[ad_1]
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka – Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the elected president of the Maldives, spent his youth walking the streets for democracy. He was elected to Parliament at the age of 32 as an independent candidate, contributing to the development of a new constitution. But unlike the other reformers of his generation, Solih was never sidelined by a prison sentence or political exile, which propelled him into the role of flag bearer of the opposition party.
Political observers say that 56-year-old Solih, known by his nickname Ibu, has been a quiet force behind the transition of the archipelago from Southeast Asian countries to the opposition in crisis, under the direction of Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
"He was never in a hurry," Mohamed Aflath, a businessman who voted for Solih, said on Monday. "Some guys, more eager to become the leader, had to say goodbye to politics, some ended up in jail, others in exile. But Ibu was very patient and calm.
Solih's supporters flooded the streets of the capital, Male, after his victory speech on Monday morning, waving the yellow flags of his Maldivian Democrat party and singing country songs. Proponents of his 25-year career as a parliamentarian show his commitment and restraint, unlike some of the country's most power-hungry political leaders.
During the celebrations, Solih called on Yameen to immediately begin a smooth transition of power and urged his followers to remain calm. Solih and his running mate, Faisal Naseem, must be sworn in on November 17th.
A police raid on the eve of Solih's main polls cast a veil over the vote. But Mr Solih assured the Maldivians that he had spoken to the police and security forces and that "they expressed their support for the people's decision".
The presidential candidate of the Maldives opposition, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, addresses the media in Male, Maldives on Monday, September 24, 2018. A long-time, but little-known legislator, has declared winner at the headquarters of his party's campaign in the capital. as a referendum on the young democracy of the island nation. (Eranga Jayawardena / Associated Press)
Solih and his wife, Fazna Ahmed, studied in Australia before returning to the Maldivian democratic movement. They were working towards the establishment of a multiparty parliamentary system in a nation whose modern history was marked by conflicts between an ancient monarchy autocracy. He worked in journalism – working for a state broadcaster and later an opposition magazine – before becoming a member of Parliament in 1995 as an independent.
When Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, an autocrat who led the Maldives for 30 years, introduced democratic reforms, Solih joined an assembly to draft a constitution, introducing the country to the concepts of separation of powers and basic human rights.
In 2003, he helped found the Maldivian Democratic Party with his wife's cousin, Mohamed Nasheed, who in 2008 became the first elected president in the multi-party elections. Solih was the leader of the parliamentary majority during Nasheed's presidency.
Nasheed was forced to resign in 2012 after losing support from the army and police following the arrest of a prominent judge. He returned to the presidency in 2013 – the country's second multiparty election – and lost to Gayoom's half-brother, current president Yameen.
Yameen repressing the opposition – imprisoning or forcing exile almost all his potential rivals, including Nasheed, exiled first in the UK and then to Sri Lanka -, the responsibility to rally the Opposition returns to Solih.
He was unanimously elected as the presidential candidate of the joint opposition in June.
Nasheed, at the office of the Maldivian Democratic Party in Sri Lanka, completed Monday his efforts to have "worked extremely hard and extremely smart over the last four or five years, especially since I was arrested."
Yameen congratulated his opponent in a broadcast speech broadcast on national television, saying, "I know I have to resign now."
___
Bharatha Mallawarachi, Associated Press Writer in Malé, Maldives, contributed to this report.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
[ad_2]Source link
