The new president of the Maldives was sworn in Saturday at a ceremony attended by some 12,000 invitees, including the prime minister of India, but with the notable absence of his campaign rival, who could face an investigation into his human rights record while in power.

As a candidate for the opposition coalition, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih swept to victory against former president Abdulla Yameen in the September election, prompting the latter to unsuccessfully challenge the results in the small Indian Ocean country's top court. </s> Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took over as president of the Maldives on Saturday following a fierce political discord caused by the autocratic rule of outgoing leader Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Thousands of people cheered Solih, from the Maldivian Democratic Party, at a swearing-in ceremony in a soccer stadium chosen to accommodate a large number of his supporters. Chief Justice Abdulla Didi administered the oath of office to the 54-year-old Solih.

The Maldives, an Indian Ocean archipelago known for its luxury resorts, became a multiparty democracy in 2008.

Since getting elected in 2013, Yameen had cracked down on political dissent, jailing rivals and Supreme Court justices. But he suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of Solih in September’s presidential election.

Neighboring India has been concerned by a growing Chinese influence under Yameen, who signed a series of infrastructure projects with Beijing.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the top foreign dignitary to attend Saturday’s ceremony. Modi is trying to reset bilateral ties that suffered during Yameen’s rule.

Solih faces a challenging task of balancing ties with powerful India and China. He will also have to battle widespread corruption and rising Islamist extremism.

Yameen’s attempt to cling to power was dashed by the Supreme Court, which dismissed his petition seeking an annulment of the election result. His party challenged the result, alleging vote rigging, fraud and corruption in the election process.

Solih was chosen as the opposition candidate in July after exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed abandoned plans to run because of a past criminal conviction that made him ineligible. On Saturday, he attended Solih’s swearing-in ceremony after his return from exile in London and Colombo, the capital of neighbouring Sri Lanka. </s> MALE, Maldives (AP) — Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took over as president of the Maldives on Saturday following a fierce political discord caused by the autocratic rule of outgoing leader Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Thousands of people cheered Solih, from the Maldivian Democratic Party, at a swearing-in ceremony in a soccer stadium chosen to accommodate a large number of his supporters. Chief Justice Abdulla Didi administered the oath of office to the 54-year-old Solih.

The Maldives, an Indian Ocean archipelago known for its luxury resorts, became a multiparty democracy in 2008.

Since getting elected in 2013, Yameen had cracked down on political dissent, jailing rivals and Supreme Court justices. But he suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of Solih in September's presidential election.

Neighboring India has been concerned by a growing Chinese influence under Yameen, who signed a series of infrastructure projects with Beijing.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the top foreign dignitary to attend Saturday's ceremony. Modi is trying to reset bilateral ties that suffered during Yameen's rule.

Solih faces a challenging task of balancing ties with powerful India and China. He will also have to battle widespread corruption and rising Islamist extremism.

Yameen's attempt to cling to power was dashed by the Supreme Court, which dismissed his petition seeking an annulment of the election result. His party challenged the result, alleging vote rigging, fraud and corruption in the election process.

Solih was chosen as the opposition candidate in July after exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed abandoned plans to run because of a past criminal conviction that made him ineligible. On Saturday, he attended Solih's swearing-in ceremony after his return from exile in London and Colombo, the capital of neighboring Sri Lanka. </s> New Delhi: With flags raised high and dancing on the streets, Maldives cheers for its new President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who defeated Abdulla Yameen in the 2018 presidential election to claim the title. Ibrahim Mohamed Solih won the elections with 134,616 votes. He registered the victory with the backing of a united opposition trying to oust Abdulla Yameen. His party struggled for visibility with the electorate and the media, but the outcome turned out to be favourable. Abdulla Yameen on Monday conceded defeat in elections, easing fears of a fresh political crisis in Maldives. The Indian External Affairs Ministry called for deepening country's partnership and ties with Maldives with a change in the leadership. "This election marks not only the triumph of democratic forces in the Maldives, but also reflects the firm commitment to the values of democracy and the rule of law," the statement said. </s> New president replaces autocratic leader in the Maldives

MALE, Maldives (AP) — Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took over as president of the Maldives on Saturday following a fierce political discord caused by the autocratic rule of outgoing leader Yameen Abdul Gayoom.

Thousands of people cheered Solih, from the Maldivian Democratic Party, at a swearing-in ceremony in a soccer stadium chosen to accommodate a large number of his supporters. Chief Justice Abdulla Didi administered the oath of office to the 54-year-old Solih.

The Maldives, an Indian Ocean archipelago known for its luxury resorts, became a multiparty democracy in 2008.

Since getting elected in 2013, Yameen had cracked down on political dissent, jailing rivals and Supreme Court justices. But he suffered an unexpected defeat at the hands of Solih in September's presidential election.

Neighboring India has been concerned by a growing Chinese influence under Yameen, who signed a series of infrastructure projects with Beijing.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the top foreign dignitary to attend Saturday's ceremony. Modi is trying to reset bilateral ties that suffered during Yameen's rule.

Solih faces a challenging task of balancing ties with powerful India and China. He will also have to battle widespread corruption and rising Islamist extremism.

Yameen's attempt to cling to power was dashed by the Supreme Court, which dismissed his petition seeking an annulment of the election result. His party challenged the result, alleging vote rigging, fraud and corruption in the election process.

Solih was chosen as the opposition candidate in July after exiled former President Mohamed Nasheed abandoned plans to run because of a past criminal conviction that made him ineligible. On Saturday, he attended Solih's swearing-in ceremony after his return from exile in London and Colombo, the capital of neighboring Sri Lanka. </s> NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Maldives President Abdulla Yameen conceded defeat to opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday in a presidential election.

“Maldivian people have decided what they want. I have accepted the results from yesterday. Earlier today, I met with Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who the Maldivian electorate has chosen to be their next president. I have congratulated him,” Yameen said in a televised press conference.

The country’s Elections Commission said Solih won by a margin of 16.7 percent in Sunday’s vote. </s> Maldivian President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has taken the oath of office before thousands of people and hundreds of foreign dignitaries, vowing to end systematic corruption and investigate alleged human rights abuses under his predecessor, Abdulla Yameen.

Solih received a 21-gun salute after being sworn in on Saturday as the Indian Ocean island nation's seventh president at a special parliamentary assembly at the national football stadium in the capital, Male.

Addressing the crowd of 12,000 people, the 54-year-old pledged to see through his promises to establish justice and equality, as well as "eradicate corruption and theft".

"We need to focus on moving ahead, to take back the rights we have been denied, and save our nation from its dismal condition," he said.

Solih is expected to appoint a 19-member cabinet and name the attorney general later on Saturday.

'Justice for those abused'

Solih won a contentious election in September promising to restore democracy after a wide-ranging crackdown on dissent during Yameen's five-year term.

The former president had jailed or forced into exile nearly all opposition leaders, banned protests, detained Supreme Court judges and suspended parliament for long periods of time.

Most politicians who were sentenced during Yameen's tenure were released following Solih's shock win on September 23.

"We need to help seek justice for those subject to abuse and unfair treatment. The treasury needs to be strengthened. Unaccountable deaths and disappearances need to be investigated and findings disclosed," Solih said on Saturday.

"For us to move ahead as one nation, such grave matters need to be addressed immediately."

Aishath Rasheed, whose brother was murdered last year in an attack over his religious beliefs, said Solih's inauguration was a "moment of hope" for her family.

"His speech gives me hope to find justice for my brother. I pray and hope this holds true," said Rasheed, who was among the thousands invited to the stadium by the new president's office.

Fezleen Saleem, who was also at the stadium, said people were "jubilant" and "applauding" when Solih was sworn in.

"There was hope in the air. It gave me goosebumps every now and then," she said.

Many Maldivians also took to social media to celebrate.

Zuroo Majid, in a Twitter post, said: "What a glorious feeling to wake up to hope and change", while Ahmed Fauzan said he could not believe Yameen was "out ... it would take some time for this to sink in".

'Precarious finances'

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi was among the more than 300 foreign dignitaries at the ceremony in Male.

The visit is Modi's first to the Maldives after years of tense relations between the two countries because of Yameen's embrace of China during his tenure.

Beijing reportedly loaned more than $1.5bn to fund a massive infrastructure boom under the former president.

In an apparent reference to the Chinese debt, Solih, who has promised an "India first" foreign policy, said the Maldives was "in a precarious financial situation" because of "reckless mega development projects undertaken purely for political gain", and appealed for help from foreign countries and international organisations to address the issue.

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Modi, in a Facebook post on Friday, already pledged India's help to the Maldives "in the areas of infrastructure, healthcare, connectivity and human resource development".

Meanwhile, Yameen, who lost a court challenge to overturn his poll defeat, did not attend the ceremony, nor did several legislators from his party.

Mohamed Nasheed and Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, two former presidents who were jailed during Yameen's time in office following trials that were widely condemned as politically motivated, were both present at the oath-taking ceremony.

Solih, who ran as the joint candidate of a coalition led by Nasheed and Gayoom, said reforms to ensure judicial independence was his government's "highest priority area". </s> Maldives President Abdulla Yameen conceded defeat to opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday in a presidential election.

NEW DELHI: Maldives President Abdulla Yameen conceded defeat to opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday in a presidential election.

"Maldivian people have decided what they want. I have accepted the results from yesterday. Earlier today, I met with Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who the Maldivian electorate has chosen to be their next president. I have congratulated him," Yameen said in a televised press conference.

The country's Elections Commission said Solih won by a margin of 16.7 percent in Sunday's vote. </s> Male, Nov 17 (IANS) Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attended the swearing-in ceremony of new Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih here.

Modi was the senior-most foreign leader to attend the ceremony in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation that went through immense political turmoil under former President Abdulla Yameen.

Solih, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party's candidate, emerged victorious over Yameen. His term is expected to continue until 2023. He is the seventh President of the Maldives and the third to be elected under the country's new Constitution.

The island nation's relations with India became strained during Yameen's rule, with tensions peaking after New Delhi criticised Male's refusal to enforce a Supreme Court ruling quashing the convictions of nine opposition figures, among them former President Mohamed Nasheed, who had gone into exile.

Nasheed returned to his country following Solih's election.

During the swearing-in ceremony, Nasheed sat beside Modi and the two were seen chatting animatedly. Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunge was also sitting along with them.

Under Nasheed, relations between India and the atoll nation had improved greatly.

Former President Yameen was seen as anti-India and pro-China while new President Solih is perceived to be pro-India.

Following his victory in the Maldives presidential election in September, Solih invited Modi to attend his swearing-in ceremony during a telephonic conversation.

Earlier in the day, Modi was accorded a red carpet welcome on his arrival here with the Speaker of the Maldives Parliament, Qasim Ibrahim, receiving him at the airport.
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih takes the oath of office and becomes the 7th President of the Maldives.