Yameen says he does not believe that he got 96,000 votes, adds 'this does not mean I do not accept the result'
The president imposed various allegations against the Elections Commissioner, a close ally he had appointed a few months prior to the election
File photo: President Abdulla Yameen at a campaign rally
Outgoing President Abdulla Yameen, who lost his bid for re-election in the Presidential poll held last week, joined a protest held by the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) on Monday night, where he accused the Elections Commission of 'hoodwinking' the election.
Seeking justice, the party took to the streets on Monday night despite having used the parliament to amend the law to restrict freedom of assembly in 2016.
President Yameen had at the protest, stated that the Commission 'must answer' to the citizens immediately, regarding the various allegations made against it.
He also spoke of a leaked audio clip, allegedly of Elections Commissioner Ahmed Shareef and another individual, saying that Shareef must answer 'accordingly' to the allegations.
In the leaked audio clip, Shareef is heard saying that at the moment, President Yameen wants to “get it done” no matter what is put at stake, and the person on the other end of the line is heard telling him to “not follow through orders” no matter what he is told to do. While this was leaked earlier on Monday, Shareef has since said that it is forged with mixes of different conversations.
Yameen also said that he does not believe that he received 96,000 votes, noting that he believes that it is the 'minimum number' of votes he received.
"But this does not mean that I do accept that results, it does not at all mean that I do not accept the results," he added.
According to the final result announced by the Elections Commission on Saturday, Yameen received 96,052 votes. The Joint Opposition's Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won with 134,705 votes.
Further, Yameen, who during his five-year term imposed various restrictions of freedom of assembly and speech, called on his supporters to continue taking to the streets both in Male' and outlying islands, until they receive the answers.
While the President continues to impose various allegations on the Elections Commissioner, he was appointed to the post a few months ahead of the presidential election, in March. Prior to that, he was a senior official in the incumbent president's bid for reelection.
