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The Maldives Foreign Ministry said on Monday that Maldivian Democratic Party candidate Solih won a majority of votes on a provisional count, but official results would be confirmed within a week.
The voter turnout was astonishing at 89%, as Maldivians on the island and abroad voted in a controversial election that observers had warned of the risk of electoral fraud.
At his first press conference since his victory Sunday, Mr. Solih said: "It's a moment of happiness, a moment of hope, it's a moment in history. ".
Solih said his priority was to reunite the country after years of heavy domination under Yameen, who still has to concede defeat.
Hundreds of supporters of the Maldivian city of Addu have waved yellow flags in the honor of the Democratic Party of Solih.
David Brewster, principal investigator at the National Security College of the Australian National University, said the election result was an "absolute shock", given indications that Yameen "had very well blocked the result."
Yameen came to power in 2013 during a disputed election which, according to opponents, was rigged. Since then he has been accused of eroding democracy, suppressing dissent and imprisoning opposition leaders.
In 2016, the Maldives withdrew from the British Commonwealth after the association of former British colonies threatened to suspend it for destroying democratic institutions.
Activists imprisoned
"For many of us, the trip was difficult," Solih said Sunday. "A trip that led to a prison cell or years of exile.It was a trip that saw the complete politicization and collapse of public institutions.But this trip is over. at the polls because people have wanted it. "
Former Maldivian President and opposition leader Mohamed Nasheed said the electoral victory should be a turning point for the Indian Ocean nation.
"We want a smooth transition, we do not want President Yameen to go back to his old tricks, no more supreme courts, no more martial laws, no more emergency rules, no more repression."
Nasheed, who became the country's first democratically elected president in 2009 and has gained worldwide fame for highlighting the effects of global warming on the archipelago, was jailed in 2015 for terrorism charges that his supporters judged wrong.
Regional links
The Maldives have long been considered a close regional ally in India, and the regional giant's Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement on Solih's victory, saying that this "marks not only the triumph of democratic forces in the Maldives, but reflects values of democracy and the rule of law.
"In line with our neighborhood policy first, India looks forward to working closely with the Maldives to deepen our partnership," the statement said.
While relations remain close with its northern neighbor, Yameen Male has moved closer to China, inviting investment as part of Beijing's One Belt, One Road Economic Initiative, and seeking economic aid from China. China and Saudi Arabia.
This has raised concerns in some quarters, including Nasheed, who has publicly stated that China "is buying the Maldives" under Yameen's reign.
The election of Solih could be seen as another sign that the ambitious One Belt infrastructure project, One Road in China could be facing slowdowns. Recent elections in countries ranging from Pakistan to Malaysia could disrupt infrastructure investment projects and strengthen its influence in the region, said David Brewster of the Australian National University.
"Despite all that China seems to be spending in the region (maintaining regional influence), it's not that easy.They find that if they have close relations with authoritarian or strong leaders, they tend to to "Brewster said.
Brewster added that under Sohil, "there will definitely be a change" to India.
"Nasheed has been a critic of Yameen's closeness to China, you must assume that the new government will be much more aware of Indian sensibilities and become too close to China, but the economic realities will be there too."
Clock back
Speaking to reporters earlier this year, Nasheed said that 80 percent of the Maldives' foreign debt was due to China, suggesting that the country, like Sri Lanka, could help pay off debts
"With the Chinese going to the Indian Ocean, our strategic interests are also expanding, and this is the only way India can preserve itself."
The trade agreement concluded between China and the Government of Maldives provided for investments in the development of the international airport and a bridge, but the Maldives have in contrast contracted a significant number of them. controversial obligations.
Last July, Nasheed said the Maldives' interest in servicing its foreign debt to China represents more than 20 percent of the country's budget.
The Maldives are also very popular as a tourist destination, especially for Chinese visitors.
Nearly 1.4 million tourists from around the world visited the Maldives in 2017, according to government statistics, including hundreds of thousands of Chinese.
