Upset in Maldives election

Maldives opposition leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih unexpectedly won Sunday’s presidential election in the small nation made up of a chain of islands in the Indian Ocean. Solih secured 134,616 votes, beating incumbent President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who received 96,132 votes, the Maldives Electoral Commission reported on Monday. Commission spokesman Ahmed Akram said the commission will release the final results within seven days.

Gayoom’s government cracked down on political rivals, courts, and the media before the election, and police raided Solih’s main campaign office.

“For many of us, this has been a difficult journey, a journey that has led to prison cells or exile,” Solih said in his victory speech, calling his win “a moment of history.” Gayoom conceded defeat in a televised speech Monday, saying, “I know I have to step down now.”