TEHRAN, Apr 06 - Voting began in the Maldives in a crucial parliamentary election on Saturday many hope would help President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih to overcome a coalition split that has hampered his efforts to restore political freedoms and tackle corruption.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Thousands lined up to cast their ballots across the Indian Ocean archipelago nation known for its luxury resorts.
Solih's Maldivian Democratic Party is seeking at least 44 seats in the 87-member Parliament for a majority to pass legislation needed to implement pledges from last year's presidential campaign. His coalition currently has 52 seats, but one partner with 22 seats is now aligned with former strongman Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
Solih defeated Yameen last year, giving new hope to the young democracy that has gone through a tumultuous transition that threatened to drag the Maldives back to its autocratic past. Yameen had curtailed freedom of speech and jailed his political rivals.
The Maldives became a multiparty democracy in 2008 after decades of autocratic rule.
Solih was only a fallback choice as president for his party because charismatic former President Mohamed Nasheed had been sentenced to prison under Yameen and therefore was ineligible to run.
Source: AP
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