2008 Maldivian presidential election

none Maldives presidential 2003 Maldivian presidential election 2003 2013 Maldivian presidential election 2013 8 October 2008 (first round)28 October 2008 (second round) 85.38% (first round)86.58% (second round) Maldives President Nasheed.png Mohamed Nasheed Maldivian Democratic Party Mohamed Waheed Hassan 97,222 54.21% President Gayoom.jpg Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party Ahmed Thasmeen Ali 82,121 45.79% 2008 maldives election map.svg 130px Second round results by atoll President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party Mohamed Nasheed Maldivian Democratic Party Presidential elections were held in the Maldives on 8 and 23 October 2008, the first democratic elections in the country.17 September 2008 Maldives presidential poll now set for Oct. 8 http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINCOL19257120080917 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20201114153810/http://in.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idINCOL19257120080917 14 November 2020 9 October 2008 Reuters As no candidate won a majority in the first round, a runoff was held on 28 October between the two candidates among the contestants who received the most votes, incumbent president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed, who received the second most votes after Gayoom in the first round.9 October 2008 Maldives poll goes to second round https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/10/9/maldives-poll-goes-to-second-round live https://web.archive.org/web/20240419053339/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2008/10/9/maldives-poll-goes-to-second-round 19 April 2024 19 April 2024 Al JazeeraPresidential Election 2008 https://www.elections.gov.mv/en/ec/elections/presidentialelectionresults2008.html dead https://web.archive.org/web/20231108184452/https://www.elections.gov.mv/en/ec/elections/presidentialelectionresults2008.html 8 November 2023 2023-03-07 www.elections.gov.mv Nasheed was elected to the office after winning a majority in the runoff, unseating incumbent president Gayoom who held the office for six terms, lasting three decades.29 October 2008 Maldives president loses election http://news.smh.com.au/world/maldives-president-loses-election-20081029-5azy.html live https://web.archive.org/web/20240419053705/https://www.smh.com.au/world/maldives-president-loses-election-20081029-5azy.html 19 April 2024 29 October 2008 The Sydney Morning Herald Agence France-Presse Background The election was initially planned to be held on 4 October,Elections Slated For 4 October http://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=4950 Minivan Daily 2008-09-08 2008-09-09 October 2010 H3llBot but had to be delayed after the Majlis (national assembly) did not pass necessary reforms on time.10 September 2008 Maldives elections 'are delayed' https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7608614.stm live https://web.archive.org/web/20240419053855/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7608614.stm 19 April 2024 9 October 2008 BBC News The incumbent, President Gayoom, in power since 1978, ran for another five-year term. According to the new Constitution, which came into effect on 7 August 2008, Gayoom had served the maximum number of terms allowed (two). He argued that since the election was held under a new constitution, the previous terms did not count toward the limit.Buerk Roland 7 August 2008 Maldives adopt new constitution https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7547725.stm live https://web.archive.org/web/20240419054059/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7547725.stm 19 April 2024 9 October 2008 BBC News The Supreme Court agreed that the limited terms were to be served "under this Constitution" and that Gayoom was therefore eligible to run in the election.3 October 2008 Supreme Court declares Gayoom can contest in the Election http://miadhu.com.mv/news.php?id=7994 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081003153300/http://www.miadhu.com.mv/news.php?id=7994 3 October 2008 28 October 2008 Miadhu Daily On 25 August 2008 the Maldives National Congress and the Adhaalath Party announced that they would support Jumhooree Party (Republican Party) candidate Qasim Ibrahim.Maldives National Congress and Adhaalath Decides to Support Republicans http://realitymaldives.com/news/?p=480 Raajje Khabaru 2008-08-25 2008-09-06 May 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes On September 3, 2008, the six candidates participated in a televised debate.Country’s First Ever Presidential Debate Takes Place http://realitymaldives.com/news/?p=666 Raajje Khabaru 2008-09-04 2008-09-06 May 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes Presidential Q&A: What The Candidates Said http://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=4939 Minivan Daily 2008-09-04 2008-09-06 October 2010 H3llBot Electoral system The Maldives has a presidential system of government where the president is both head of state and government. Once in office, they could be re-elected to a second 5-year term, which is the limit allowed by the Constitution.Constitution of the Maldives https://storage.googleapis.com/presidency.gov.mv/Documents/ConstitutionOfMaldives.pdf live https://web.archive.org/web/20240413114335/https://storage.googleapis.com/presidency.gov.mv/Documents/ConstitutionOfMaldives.pdf 13 April 2024 13 April 2024 The President's Office 51 In the Maldives, the president is elected by a majority or more than fifty (50%) percent of the votes cast. When a candidate does not receive a majority of the votes, the election then proceeds to a runoff (or second round), which are mandated to be held no less than 21 days following the election. In a runoff round, the candidates among the two who receives fifty (50%) percent of the valid votes cast, are elected to the office of the president.Comparative Data — Maldives https://aceproject.org/epic-en/CDCountry?country=MV live https://web.archive.org/web/20231002152513/https://aceproject.org/epic-en/CDCountry?country=MV 2023-10-02 2023-10-01 Ace Project The official results of the voting are announced by the Elections Commission and published in the government gazette within seven days of the voting day of the presidential elections. Conduct First round There were 208,252 eligible voters in the first round, roughly 60% of the population.8 October 2008 Election Commission urges for a free and peaceful election http://miadhu.com.mv/news.php?id=8034 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081011164248/http://www.miadhu.com.mv/news.php?id=8034 11 October 2008 8 October 2008 Miadhu Daily There were a total 396 polling stations throughout the country.8 October 2008 Maldivian nationals in Kerala cast vote in their presidential elections http://www.dailyindia.com/show/276348.php dead https://web.archive.org/web/20201113165150/https://www.dailyindia.com/show/276348.php 13 November 2020 8 October 2008 Daily India Additionally, registered Maldivians living in Colombo, Thiruvananthapuram, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore were permitted to vote in Maldivian embassies and consulates. Voters went to the polls on 8 October starting at 09:00 and expecting to end at 20:00.Evans Judith 8 October 2008 Maldives hold historic presidential poll http://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE4973NB20081008 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20201028213556/https://uk.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUKTRE4973NB20081008 28 October 2020 9 October 2008 Reuters The elections were peaceful, though voting irregularities prevented some voters from voting.Pasricha Anjana 8 October 2008 Maldives Holds Its First Democratic Presidential Election http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-10-08-voa22.cfm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081013190108/http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-10-08-voa22.cfm 13 October 2008 9 October 2008 Voice of America Lines to polling stations were long on some islands, with waits sometimes exceeding six hours.Nessman Ravi 8 October 2008 Maldives votes in first democratic election http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h2FRBL6uLk-ZP2WVB9ilkpLqz9UAD93MB3E80 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081012174104/http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5h2FRBL6uLk-ZP2WVB9ilkpLqz9UAD93MB3E80 12 October 2008 9 October 2008 Google News Associated Press A number of citizens, especially of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), were found to be not on the voter lists, even though they had registered, and some islands did not even receive voter lists.9 October 2008 Maldives opposition says poll rigged http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/10/09/2003425417 live https://web.archive.org/web/20240419060926/https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/world/archives/2008/10/09/2003425417 19 April 2024 19 April 2024 Taipei Times Agence France-Pressehttp://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=5107 Elections May Be Called Off Lang Olivia Rasheed, Zaheena 2008-10-08 Minivan Daily 2008-10-09 October 2010 H3llBot Later, the election committee said that anyone could vote, as long as he or she showed an ID card that was valid. A handful of riot police were deployed after 300 protesters gathered around the central vote-counting location, Nasandhura Palace. Ahmed Shaheed, the independent vice-presidential nominee said, "It's a disaster... I think there is deliberate tampering." MDP chairwoman Mariya Ahmed Didi, who incidentally registered but was not on a voter list, echoed similar concerns: "We hoped that once in our lifetime we could vote freely, but today we are being denied our right to vote." Election observers from the Commonwealth of Nations issued an interim report stating that the first round of the election was "reasonably credible" but that there were some problems with the voter list and training of officials and educating voters.Arthur Owen 10 October 2008 2008 Maldives Presidential Election - Interim Statement http://www.thecommonwealth.org/document/184259/101008interimstatement.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081023073302/http://www.thecommonwealth.org/document/184259/101008interimstatement.htm 23 October 2008 28 October 2008 Commonwealth of Nations Second round In the second round, 209,294 people were eligible to vote.http://miadhu.com.mv/news.php?id=8247 Maldivians vote in run-off election 2008-10-28 2008-10-29 Miadhu Daily May 2017 InternetArchiveBot yes There was a total of 403 polling stations across the Maldives. Registered voters were also able to cast ballots at Maldivian embassies and diplomatic missions in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom. Voting progressed fairly peacefully although there were some problems, such as people not being registered which prevented them from voting. Results First round Six candidates competed in the first multi party election ever held in the Maldives. Early results indicated that there would be a runoff between Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed and his running mate, Dr. Waheed;Evans Judith 9 October 2008 Early Morning Unofficial Results Suggest Gayoom-Anni Runoff http://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=5120 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081010125454/http://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=5120 10 October 2008 9 October 2008 Minivan Daily on the morning of 9 October the results showed Gayoom ahead with 40.3% against Nasheed and Dr. Waheed's 24.9%.9 October 2008 Gayoom faces run-off in Maldives https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7660464.stm live https://web.archive.org/web/20240419061127/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7660464.stm 19 April 2024 19 April 2024 BBC News Those results stayed the same, and the four other candidates were eliminated, so a runoff between Gayoom and Nasheed was necessary.Nessman Ravi 9 October 2008 Maldives leader faces runoff in 1st free election http://kohd.com/news/international/story-53196 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110713164240/http://kohd.com/news/international/story-53196 13 July 2011 9 October 2008 KOHD Associated Press Although Gayoom failed to win in the first round, as he had hoped, he expressed satisfaction with his score. According to Gayoom, the results showed that he was the Maldives' "most popular public figure", and he said that he was poised for victory in the second round.10 October 2008 Maldives run-off vote set for October 29 http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gl-Bi2YpRxOZ7kl_npdqmNAxn7sQ dead https://web.archive.org/web/20110520180850/http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5gl-Bi2YpRxOZ7kl_npdqmNAxn7sQ 20 May 2011 18 October 2008 Google News Agence France-Presse Second round Following the first round results, it was announced that the second round would be held on 29 October, although election law provided for the second round to be held within 10 days of the first. Election Commissioner Mohamed Ibrahim said that this later date would give the candidates more time to campaign and would give the electoral commission more time "to correct issues with the voter registry". Third-place finisher Hassan Saeed, a former attorney-general, threw his support to Nasheed and Dr. Waheed for the second round. Ibrahim Ismail also backed Nasheed and Dr. Waheed, and the other two candidates were expected to vouch for Nasheed as well.Rasheed Zaheena 10 October 2008 Anni Says Whole Opposition Is Behind Him http://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=5132 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20081010125850/http://www.minivannews.com/news_detail.php?id=5132 10 October 2008 9 October 2008 Minivan Daily Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Ahmed Thasmeen Ali Maldivian People's Party 71731 82121 Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Waheed Hassan Maldivian Democratic Party 44293 97222 Hassan Saeed Ahmed Shaheed Independent 29633 Qasim Ibrahim Ahmed Ali Sawaad Jumhooree Party 27056 Umar Naseer Ahmed Rizwy Islamic Democratic Party 2472 Ibrahim Ismail Fathimath Nahid Shakir Social Liberal Party 1382 1235 1861 208252 209294 Election Commission See also List of Maldivian presidential candidates References Maldives Presidential election Category:Presidential elections in the Maldives Maldives