Abdulla Yameen, half-brother of former autocratic ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, on Saturday clinched an unexpected victory in the presidential run-off elections by defeating former President Nasheed, who had led in two recent aborted polls.
The winning candidate, a 54-year economist also known as Yameen Abdul Gayoom, contested as a Progressive Party of Maldives candidate.
He bagged 51.39 per cent of the votes, compared to 48.61 per cent ballots secured by Nasheed, a Government official Masood Imad told PTI. Over 90 per cent of eligible voters exercised their franchise in the second round of the much delayed election to choose a new President amidst a constitutional crisis.