President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Sunday won an overwhelming victory in a referendum on the Maldives’ future form of government, a poll seen as an informal vote of confidence in his three-decade rule of the tiny Indian Ocean nation.
The vote was expected to clear the way for the Sunni Muslim nation of 300,000 people to adopt a new constitution in November and hold its first multiparty elections next year. Gayoom, criticised as a dictator by the opposition, sought a US-style political system with a powerful executive presidency. The opposition, wary of keeping power consolidated, backed a British-style parliamentary system.
The referendum was seen as the first true expression of democracy in the Maldives’ 43-year history.
Results showed the presidential form of government winning more than 60 per cent support, 93,042 votes to 57,109 votes for a parliamentary system. The votes counted appeared to give Gayoom’s side an overwhelming majority, and his spokesman declared victory.