MALE, Sept 7: Partial presidential election results in the Maldives showed Mohamed Nasheed leading on Saturday, nearly 20 months after his removal from power ignited months of sometimes violent unrest.

Nasheed, Maldives’ first democratically-elected president, was forced from office in Feb 2012 in what his supporters say was a coup.

The turmoil tarnished the Indian Ocean archipelago’s image as a tropical holiday paradise.

Nasheed was leading with 45 per cent of 274 ballot boxes counted out of the total 470 at 1453 GMT, followed by his main rival Abdulla Yameen with 25pc, state-run Television Maldives said.

The votes so far counted were from small islands across the archipelago. Nasheed’s strongholds, the capital Male and the city of Addu, were still being counted.

Provisional results of all 470 ballot boxes are expected to be released by 1800 GMT, election commission officials said.

“Voting today is significant because we are going to establish a legitimate government,” Nasheed said early in the day outside the polling centre where he cast his ballot.

He is running against three rivals, including Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik, who succeeded him as president. Yameen is a half-brother of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled for 30 years and was considered a dictator by opponents and rights groups.

“I hope to get through in the first round itself,” Yameen told reporters.

Also on the ballot is Gasim Ibrahim, a resort tycoon, media business owner and former finance minister under Gayoom. Gasim and Wahid have 24pc and 5pc respectively of the votes counted.

Officials at the Election Commission said turnout could be around 80pc, compared with 85pc in 2008 polls. “I’ve been waiting 19 months for this day. So I got here as early as I could. It’s my way of standing up against the coup,” said voter Ismail Shiyaz, 39, a supporter of Nasheed.

Nasheed said he now had support in the ranks of the military and police and expressed confidence he would secure 50pc of the vote to win in the first round. A split vote would force a run-off on Sept 28.

Nasheed was forced to resign in Feb 2012 after mutinying police and military forces armed opposition demonstrators and gave him an ultimatum.—Reuters