Maldives votes again in re-run election for president

Polls opened in the Maldives today with early voters among the island's 240,000-strong electorate queuing up outside polling stations to cast their vote.

The archipelago nation is witnessing a contest between former president Mohamed Nasheed and his closest rival, Abdulla Yameen of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM). Nasheed led the first round of the presidential polls on 9 November.

Polling booths across the country opened at 7:30am (0230 GMT) today as the second round of polling got underway. Workers and supporters of Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), PPM and the Jumhoree Party, whose leader Gasim Ibrahim secured the third highest number of votes in the initial phase of polling a week ago, gathered in the lanes of capital Male.

Maldivians who are living abroad would also vote in several foreign capitals, according to Election Commission official Aishath Reema.

Around 200 voters are expected to cast their votes in New Delhi, while 500 voters would cast their votes in Thiruvananthapuram.

The EU has, meanwhile, said it would take ''appropriate measures" in the event of the failure of the elections.

According to commentators, after an annulled result and two cancelled polls, foreign diplomats view the delays as politically motivated.

The run-off presidential election is being held under intense international pressure to elect a new leader and end months of political unrest.

AFP quoted Reema as saying that the number of voters this time was slightly more. She added, many had lined up to vote even before the 475 polling booths opened across the islands scattered across the equator.

Opposition leader and frontrunner Mohamed Nasheed, a former pro-democracy campaigner, had won the country's first free polls in 2008. However, he had to resign under pressure following demonstrations.

Meanwhile, in a highly unusual move on the eve of a national election, Waheed left for Hong Kong for a medical appointment for his wife.

Waheed's spokesman Masood Imad told AFP on Friday that he was constantly in touch and there was no need for concern, adding that parliament would be responsible for inaugurating a new leader tomorrow.

Though Waheed's term had expired last weekend under the terms of the constitution, he had continued in office despite demands from Nasheed's party to step down, and growing pressure from western nations and India.