AlQa'dah 1, 1434, Sep 7, 2013, SPA -- Partial presidential election results in the Maldives showed Mohamed Nasheed leading on Saturday, nearly 20 months after his removal from power ignited months of sometimes violent unrest, Reuters reported. Nasheed, Maldives' first democratically-elected president, was forced from office in February 2012 in what his supporters say was a coup. The turmoil tarnished the Indian Ocean archipelago's image as a tropical holiday paradise. Nasheed was leading with 45 percent of 274 ballot boxes counted out of the total 470 at 1453 GMT, followed by his main rival Abdulla Yameen with 25 percent, state-run Television Maldives said. The votes so far counted were from small islands across the archipelago. Nasheed's strongholds, the capital Male and the city of Addu, were still being counted. Provisional results of all 470 ballot boxes are expected to be released by 1800 GMT, election commission officials said. He is running against three rivals, including Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, who succeeded him as president. -- SPA 19:18 LOCAL TIME 16:18 GMT تغريد
