JP's Gasim comes fifth, behind independent candidate Umar
According to provisional results, this time Umar has won thousands more votes than he did before.
By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
Former home minister Umar Naseer, who contested the presidential election as an independent candidate, has moved up to fourth place after moving Jumhoory Party (JP) candidate Gasim Ibrahim to the fifth in the provisional results.
The opposition PPM-PNC candidate is leading in the provisional results of Saturday's election. The second-placed MDP candidate, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will have to contest a second round with Muizz.
Maldives' third largest party JP's leader and resort-to-retail business tycoon Gasim is fifth, coming after The Democrats' candidate Ilyas Labeeb, who is at third place, and Umar, who is in fourth place, according to provisional results.
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Ilyas received more than 15,200 votes (7%)
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Umar received more than 6,000 (2.8%) so far
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Gasim received about 5,500 votes (2.5%) so far
Gasim's popularity extremely low
This is the lowest result ever for Gasim, who had contested the presidential election for the third time this year. He had run three times in the first round of the two previous elections, finishing fourth and third, each time receiving more than 15% of the vote.
The number of votes received by Gasim in elections:
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First round of 2008 election - 27,056, 15%
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2013 election, in the canceled first round - 50,422, 24%
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First round of 2013 election - 48,131, 23%
In the past three elections, the presidential candidates have won the election with Gasim's support. However, this time the poor results show that the support of Gasim’s people who had reinforce that influence had dwindled.
More votes for Umar than before
Umar contested the first round of the 2008 presidential election. Then he received only 2,472 votes. So, according to provisional results, this time he has won a thousand more votes.
Umar received votes in elections:
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First round of 2008 election - 2,472%1
Gasim, who campaigned in many islands, said he had played a leading role in winning the previous elections but did not win anything in return. He has also been asking the people to give him a chance and test him as a leader as he has served the country and has donated a lot to the people with his own wealth.
Umar contested the election with the same slogan he used in 2008, 'The solution is Umar'. He was mostly advocating that he was the most suitable candidate to save the country from drugs, against the presence of foreign troops and to establish Islamic Sharia in the country.
The two candidates for the second round received:
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PPM-PNC candidate Dr Mohmmed Muizz: More than 100,000 votes (46%)
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MDP candidate, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih: More than 85,000 votes (39%)
