Abdulla Yameen challenges Maldives election results

Outgoing Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen filed a legal challenge in the Supreme Court against his recent election defeat.

Yameen's lawyer, Mohamed Saleem, however, refused to reveal the details of the case and did not clarify if the outgoing President was seeking to overturn the election results, reported Al Jazeera.

A press statement released by Yameen's party, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), stated that they have decided to take legal recourse "following numerous serious complaints received by Observers, Monitors and members of the general public in the immediate aftermath of the 23rd September 2018 Presidential polls in the Maldives."

The statement further highlighted that the PPM had taken the step after a thorough examination of the complaints for "authenticity" and were "overwhelmed with numerous genuine concerns related to the elections, including serious allegations of vote rigging, fraud, malpractice and corruption."

According to Al Jazeera, Yameen has not offered a lot of evidence to strengthen his claim, while his counsel stated that he will be submitting documentary evidence and witness statements to the court.

In a hotly-contested election in the island nation, held on September 23, Mohamed Solih, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party's candidate, emerged victorious by garnering 134,616 votes, while Yameen managed to get 96,132 votes only.

Solih is slated to be sworn in on November 17.