MALE — Abdulla Yameen won the Maldives presidential election run-off on Saturday, narrowly defeating the favorite Mohamed Nasheed in a ballot that voters hope will end nearly two years of political turmoil that has hit the vital tourism industry. The crisis occasionally spilled over into violent protests in the Indian Ocean holiday paradise after Nasheed, the Maldives' first democratically elected president in 2008, was forced to resign early last year in what he said was a coup. Three previous attempts to hold the election were annulled or delayed in as many months and, although Nasheed led the first round a week ago, Yameen enjoyed the support of resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim, who was eliminated in that ballot. Yameen is a half-brother of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years and is considered a dictator by rights groups and opponents. Gasim had been Gayoom's finance minister. Imad Masood, spokesman for outgoing president Mohamed Waheed, said Yameen had won more than 51 percent of the vote. “Four more boxes are yet to be counted, but they won't make any difference to the final results,” he told Reuters. The Election Commission had yet to confirm Yameen's victory, and may not announce the final count from an electorate of around 240,000 people until Sunday. It was not immediately clear whether Nasheed would contest the results. Some Maldivians viewed the election as a choice between dictatorship and democracy. Others focused on Yameen's earlier success in charge of several state-run firms - experience that could help him win back the confidence of potential investors. “Yameen has experience running companies, so he will know how to run the country better,” 27-year-old voter Ahmed Abu Bakr said earlier in the day. “Nasheed's better as an activist, so he can be the opposition.” Whether the election brings stability remains to be seen.— Reuters
