Maldives strongman Yameen seeks second term amid rigging fears

Election commission officials prepare ballot papers for counting votes. (Reuters )
Updated 24 September 2018
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Maldives strongman Yameen seeks second term amid rigging fears

COLOMBO, Sri Lanka: Polling booths in the Maldives closed Sunday after voting hours were extended in a controversial election marred by police raids on the opposition and allegations of rigging in favor of strongman President Abdulla Yameen.

Yameen, who is expected to retain power, has imprisoned or forced into exile almost all of his main rivals. Critics say he is returning the honeymoon island nation to authoritarian rule.

The process is being closely watched by regional rivals India and China, who are jostling to influence Indian Ocean nations. The European Union and US, meanwhile, have threatened sanctions if the vote is not free and fair.

Many voters across the Indian Ocean archipelago said they stood in line for over five hours to cast their ballot, while expatriate Maldivians voted in neighboring Sri Lanka and India.

The elections commission said balloting was extended by three hours until 7 p.m. (1400 GMT) because of technical glitches suffered by tablet computers containing electoral rolls, and officials had to use manual systems to verify voters’ identities.

An election official said the deadline was also extended due to heavy voter turnout, and anyone in the queue by 7 p.m. would be able to cast their ballot.

“Eight hours & counting. Waiting to exercise my democratic right! Let’s do this, Insha Allah!” former Foreign Minister Dunya Maumoon said on Twitter.

Maumoon, who is also the estranged niece of Yameen and daughter of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, cast her vote at a booth in the Maldivian Embassy in Colombo.

Yameen voted minutes after polling booths opened in the capital Male, where opposition campaign efforts had been frustrated by a media crackdown and police harassment.

Before polls opened, police raided the campaign headquarters of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and searched the building for several hours in a bid to stop what they called “illegal activities.” There were no arrests.

Yameen’s challenger, the relatively unknown Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, also cast his vote.

Solih has the backing of a united opposition trying to oust Yameen although he has struggled for visibility with the electorate because the media is fearful of falling foul of heavy-handed decrees and reporting restrictions.

Mohamed Nasheed, who was elected president of a newly democratic Maldives in 2008 but who now lives in exile, urged the international community to reject the results of a flawed election.

Some 262,000 people in the archipelago — famed for its white beaches and blue lagoons — were eligible to vote in an election from which independent international monitors have been barred.

Only a handful of foreign media have been allowed in.

The Asian Network for Free Elections, a foreign monitoring group that was denied access to the Maldives, said the campaign was heavily tilted in favor of 59-year-old Yameen.

Local observers said the balloting itself went off peacefully and most of the delays were due to technical issues. Results are expected by early Monday.

The government has used “vaguely worded laws to silence dissent and to intimidate and imprison critics,” some of whom have been assaulted and even murdered, according to Human Rights Watch.

There have been warnings that Yameen could try to hold on to power at all costs.

In February he declared a state of emergency, suspended the constitution and ordered troops to storm the Supreme Court and arrest judges and other rivals to stave off impeachment.

Yameen told supporters on the eve of the election he had overcome “huge obstacles” since controversially winning power in a contested run-off in 2013, but had handled the challenges “with resilience.” 

The crackdown attracted international censure and fears the Maldives was slipping back into one-man rule just a decade after transitioning to democracy.

The US State Department this month said it would “consider appropriate measures” should the election fail to be free and fair.

The EU in July also threatened travel bans and asset freezes if the situation does not improve.

India, long influential in Maldives affairs — it sent troops and warships in 1988 to stop a coup attempt — also expressed hopes the election would represent a return to democratic norms.

However in recent years Yameen has drifted closer to China, India’s chief regional rival, taking hundreds of millions of dollars for major infrastructure projects.


India defense minister heads to China summit

Updated 5 sec ago
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India defense minister heads to China summit

  • Rajnath Singh will join fellow regional defense ministers in China’s Qingdao city for SCO summit starting Wednesday 
  • He will call for joint, consistent efforts to eliminate “terrorism” and extremism in the region, says Indian defense ministry 

NEW DELHI: Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh will travel to China this week for talks with his regional counterparts, New Delhi said Tuesday.

Ties between the world’s two most populous nations have improved in recent months, after hitting a low in 2020 over a deadly clash between their troops on the Himalayan border.

Singh will join fellow defense ministers in the eastern city of Qingdao for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit starting Wednesday.

He will “outline India’s vision toward achieving greater international peace & security, call for joint & consistent efforts to eliminate terrorism & extremism in the region,” a defense ministry statement said.

Singh will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from China and Russia, which are alliance members alongside Pakistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus.

Ahead of the two-day SCO meeting, India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval held talks in Beijing with Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi.

Doval “underscored the need to promote the overall development of the India-China bilateral relations,” New Delhi said Monday.

Wang said relations have “seen some positive developments” since the two countries’ leaders met last year, China’s foreign ministry said.

Beijing has granted permission to Indian pilgrims wishing to trek to Mount Kailash in Tibet, a site holy to Hindus and Buddhists, for the first time since the deadly 2020 clash.

The rival countries have also agreed to expedite resuming direct flights.


France orders Tesla to end ‘deceptive commercial practices’

Updated 4 min 36 sec ago
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France orders Tesla to end ‘deceptive commercial practices’

PARIS: French anti-fraud authorities said on Tuesday they have ordered US electric car giant Tesla’s local subsidiary to stop “deceptive commercial practices” after an investigation found several violations harmful to consumers and contrary to law.
The fraud prevention and consumer protection agency (DGCCRF) said its agents investigated Tesla’s French subsidiary between 2023 and 2024 after reports were filed on a consumer complaint platform.
The probe revealed “deceptive commercial practices regarding the fully autonomous driving capabilities of Tesla vehicles, the availability of certain options and vehicle trade-in offers,” it said.
The agency also cited delays in refunding canceled orders, a lack of information on the location of deliveries and incomplete sales contracts, among other violations.
Tesla was given four months to comply with regulations.
It faces a daily fine of 50,000 euros ($58,000) if it fails to stop deceptive commercial practices over the fully autonomous driving option of certain Tesla models.
Tesla did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.
Tesla sales have tanked in Europe in recent months owing to an aging fleet of cars, rising competition and consumer distaste for Elon Musk’s role in US President Donald Trump’s administration.


Japan conducts its first missile test on its own territory

Updated 7 min 34 sec ago
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Japan conducts its first missile test on its own territory

TOKYO: Japan’s army announced Tuesday that it conducted a missile test for the first time on Japanese territory.
The test-firing of the Type-88 surface-to-ship short range missile was conducted Tuesday at the Shizunai Anti-Air Firing Range on Japan’s northernmost main island of Hokkaido.
The exercise by the Ground Self-Defense Force’s 1st Artillery Brigade was joined by about 300 soldiers who fired at an unmanned boat about 40 kilometers (24 miles) off the southern coast of Hokkaido, officials said.
Officials were still examining the results of the test, they said.
The test was conducted as Japan accelerates its military buildup to acquire strike-back capabilities as a deterrence to China.
Japan plans to deploy long-range cruise missiles, including Tomahauks, beginning later this year.
Japan has previously conducted missile tests overseas, including in the territories of its defense partners such as the United States and Australia.

Netherlands to send 175 million euros of military aid to Ukraine, expands drone cooperation

Updated 24 June 2025
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Netherlands to send 175 million euros of military aid to Ukraine, expands drone cooperation

THE HAGUE: The Netherlands will provide Ukraine with 100 drone-detection radars and 20 medical evacuation vehicles as part of a new 175 million euro ($202 million) aid package, Dutch Defense Minister Ruben Brekelmans said on Tuesday.
Delivery of the radars, which will help identify incoming drones and relay data to air defense systems, is expected to be completed by year-end.
In a statement on Friday, the Dutch Defense Ministry specified that 80 million euros of the package will go toward drone support through the international drone coalition.
The move on Tuesday follows a 500 million euro deal to produce 600,000 drones with the Ukrainian defense industry, Brekelmans said ahead of a NATO Summit in The Hague.
The Netherlands has pledged about 10 billion euros in military support for Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in early 2022.


Zelensky-Trump meeting planned Wednesday: Ukraine presidency

Updated 24 June 2025
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Zelensky-Trump meeting planned Wednesday: Ukraine presidency

KYIV: Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump are planning to meet Wednesday on the sidelines of the NATO summit in The Hague, a senior source in the Ukrainian presidency told AFP.
“The teams are finalizing the details,” the source told AFP, adding that the talks were scheduled for the “early afternoon” in the Netherlands and would focus on sanctions against Russia and arms procurement for Kyiv.