Maldives Holds First Democratic Election, Incumbent Gayoom Leading In Preliminary Count

October 9, 2008 2:13 p.m. EST

Male, Maldives (AHN) - Preliminary results of the first democratic election in Maldives indicated the incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom will likely win a seventh five-year term.

The result is based from 270 of 390 ballot boxes. Gayoom's arch critic, Mohamed Nasheed from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, was on second place.

The country's election commission is scheduled to announce final results at 11:30 p.m. Over 200,000 of Maldive's 386,000 population cast their ballots.

The winner must secure 50 percent of the votes, otherwise a runoff will be held within 10 days. So far Gayoom got 41 percent of the votes, while Nasheed had 25 percent.

Gayoom rose to power in 1978 and has been president for three decades. In the first six elections, he ran unopposed.