Maldives ibu's Eyes

Maldives 1st Multi Party Presidential Election second round date set for 29th October

The Election Commission has announced that the second round of the Presidential Election will take place on 29th October. The Commission also announced the final official results of the election.

Final official results of the Presidential Election 1st round
1 Qasim Ibrahim 27,056 15.3%
2 Maumoom A Gayyoom 71,731 40.6%
3 Hassan Saeed 29,633 16.8%
4 Mohamed Nasheed 44,293 25.1%
5 Ibrahim Ismail 1,382 0.8%
6 Umar Naseer 2,472 1.4%

Total 176,567
Invalid votes 1,235
Total Voters 177,802
Total Eligible Voters 208,252
Turn Out 85%
Total Polling Stations 395
from elections official web site

Maldives 1st Multi Party Presidential Election 2008 Provisional results being announced

First provisional results of the Presidential Election was announced in Singapore. Here are the most total announced.

1 Qasim Ibrahim 27,128 15.4%
2 Maumoom A Gayyoom 71,774 40.6%
3 Hassan Saeed 29,656 16.8%
4 Mohamed Nasheed 44,315 25.1%
5 Ibrahim Ismail 1,382 0.8%
6 Umar Naseer 2,472 1.4%

Total 176,727
Invalid votes 1,232
Polling Stations counted 395
Turn Out 85%

Official provisional results on Election website

Track election results for Presidential Election 2008

Maldives holds historic election

The people of the Maldives are voting in the islands' first multi-party presidential elections, with President Gayoom seeking a seventh term in power.

Polling is taking place amid allegations of irregularities and vote officials say voting may be extended.

The president faces five challengers, some of whom have criticised his "dictatorial and bullying" style.

President Gayoom is Asia's longest serving leader, having been in power for more than 30 years.

His main challenger to the presidency, Mohamed Nasheed, said that although there were cases of voting lists not matching official records, the irregularities were minor and he feared violence if the vote was not completed. read more BBC News

Phone usage (Maumoon, Political Parties, Government and Businesses)

I got curious today after reading Hilath's amusing post about an unsolicited SMS message he had received from a mobile phone number registered to DRP's presidential candidate Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. Now, this is a time of intense political competition between the various candidates camps and an originating number on a SMS is pretty easy to spoof, so I'm not sure if it really did originate from the said number (though with the desperation reeking from DRP it seems very likely that it did

). But that's not what really struck me...

What got my attention was the fact that there now was a publicly listed mobile phone number registered to Maumoon. I've never before seen a mobile number registered to him listed on the Dhiraagu e-Directory and a quick search through various old snapshots of e-Directory data that I had confirmed that there indeed had been none - atleast none up until early June which was the last e-Directory snapshot I had. Anyway, I grabbed a fresh snapshot of the e-Directory and spent a little while running some interesting queries on the data.

Weblog: Jaa's Blog
Tracked: Oct 06, 19:07

Here is some of what I found:

Numbers listed on e-Directory:

Mobile	305198
Landline (Male')	24423
Landline (Islands/Resorts)	8750
Phones/Customer on Avg	2.9

Political parties:

Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party	92
Maldivian Democratic Party	11
Social Liberal Party	6
Adhaalath Party	6
Islamic Democratic Party	6
Jumhooree Party	2
Peoples Party	2

Registrants (Top 5):

Dhivehi Raajjeyge Gulhun Pvt. Ltd.	833
Maldives Police Services	200
State Electric Company Ltd.	191
Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital	167
Maldives Customs Service	164

Most common names (Top 5):

Mohamed Rasheed	1273
Ibrahim Rasheed	1250
Ahmed Rasheed	1089
Ahmed Mohamed	1088
Mohamed Ali	1087

Government (Top 5):

Maldives Police Services	200
Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital	167
Maldives Customs Service	164
Min. of Defence & National Security	141
President's Office	139

Ministries (Top 5):

Min. of Defence & National Security	141
Min. of Atolls Development	114
Min. of Health	76
Min. of Finance & Treasury	76
Min. of Environment Energy and Water	67

Businesses (Top 5):

Villa Shipping & Trading Co. Pvt. Ltd.	163
Universal Entp. Pvt. Ltd.	156
One And Only Reethirah	149
One & Only Kanuhura	125
Kurumba Village	124

And finally...

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom

Mobile	16
Landlines	3

The Real Meaning of Adventure

What is adventure? Some people believe that adventure is not just that extreme and dangerous experience that one could find existing. On the contrary, they believe that it is an attitude that helps us face the obstacles present in our daily routine. For example, the challenges we have to deal with, the new and different options that life offers, the unknown that is at all time waiting for us, represent an adventure in itself. And it is in this adventure that the human beings discover themselves.

The word adventure has different meanings for different people. Generally, adventure implies thrill and excitement, risks and dangers, and the unexpected and extraordinary experiences. The adventurous people are always on the look out for things that will evoke new feelings and sensations. This is the definition of adventure commonly accepted. However, there are others for whom adventure means much more than this. They associate adventure with a certain bent of mind that helps them enjoy life to the fullest, by accepting it as it unfolds before them. They see opportunities in difficulties and treat hurdles as stepping-stones. They accept everything knowing very well that there is nothing without its pluses and minuses.

Therefore, life is seen as an adventure in itself. It is the manner in which you decide to view and live your own life. And the approach you have to life will certainly affect the way you experience this mysterious journey which we are part of. Some people believe that traveling, sightseeing or hanging on a rope is what an adventure stands for. But the problem may be that they are not experiencing their life as an exploration and their boring life leads them to lookfor excitement outside themselves.

This hidden and deeper meaning of adventure can only be understood by changing one's point of view towards life. This will not only enable you to identify the raison d'etre of your life, but will also help you recognize your strengths and weaknesses, and accept yourself as a person. However, one needs to realize that one just doesn't stumble upon adventures just like that. It is only through discovering our own strengths that we can uncover these adventures, and derive wisdom from them. As human beings, we are posed in the world in such a manner that we are compulsive adventurers. And, being so, we are capable of shaping our own lives and destinies, through a positive and constructive approach.

Life is a rare opportunity. With a little faith we can change the very meaning of life. Hurdles and obstacles can be used as openings and opportunities to discover the extent of our strength and courage. The secret lies in living life as an ever-new, ever-fresh adventure and being open to accepting whatever comes our way.