Maldives leader heads for victory

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The Party of the President of the Maldives, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, has claimed victory in a referendum on the new constitutional system.

The results showed a strong majority in favour of a presidential system of government rather than adopting a parliamentary system.

The opposition said there were discrepancies in the count and they suspected the vote had been rigged.

Mr Gayoom has been in power in the Maldives for the past 29 years.

A spokesman for the president's party, Ibrahim Shafiu, said the result was a clear manifestation that the public fully backed the president and his reform programme.

The opposition say they suspect the poll was rigged, and that a vote for them would have hastened the end of President Gayoom's one-party rule.

The Maldives will hold its first multi-party elections next year.