Voting Underway in Maldives

Voting was underway on Sunday in a heavily-criticised presidential election in the Maldives that has been gripped by political upheaval. Thousands of voters queued up outside polling centers across the country that opened at 8 a.m., the country’s Election Commission (EC) said. According to the EC, 262,135 voters are set to cast their votes, reports Xinhua news agency.Voting will end at 4.30 p.m. Preliminary results were expected to come out by early Monday and final results are expected to be announced on September 30.

The heavily-criticised election will be closely watched by India and China as President Abdulla Yameen has embraced Beijing, while his opponent, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, is seen as leaning towards New Delhi and the West, according to the BBC. (IANS)