Publication

This paper sheds light on the October 2008 presidential elections in the Maldives, which led to the defeat of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Asia's longest ruling autocrat. It comments on the candidates and the course of the elections, reviews the issues at stake and identifies the challenges the president-elect Mohamed Nasheed 'Anni' is facing. The author argues that liberalizing the democratic system was the core issue in the elections.