Asia's longest serving leader, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Maldives, faces a run off with a human rights activist he once imprisoned following the islands first democratic election.
Gayoom secured 40 per cent of the vote on Wednesday with Maldivian Democratic Party candidate Mohamed Nasheed, known locally as Anni, coming in second with 25 per cent.
The veteran leader, 71, has ruled the island archipelago and luxury tourist destination in the Indian Ocean unchallenged for the last 30 years but has been widely criticised by the international community for his record on human rights and democratic reform.
Anni is a former Amnesty International 'prisoner of conscience' who claims he limps after being tortured by President Gayoom's security forces.
The Presidential election was contested by six candidates, but as no one secured a clear majority the two men will now face a second round of voting before 28 October, the deadline set by the islands electoral commission.
Mariya Ahmed Didi of the Maldivian Democratic Party said: "The people don't want the status quo to carry on. An overwhelming majority voted for change we are very pleased."
The president is likely to have a tough time fending off his opponent's challenge if the losing candidates tell their supporters to vote for Anni. He has already secured the endorsement of the independent candidate Dr Hassan Saeed who came third in the poll with nearly 17 per cent of the vote. Saeed resigned as attorney general from Gayoom's government last year over the slow pace of reform.
The election was closely monitored by observers from across the international community and although irregularities were reported, the scale of the problem remains unclear. Turnout was extremely high at over 70 per cent of the 208,000 eligible voters.
Despite being regarded as a paradise in the west, many Maldivians remain poor with problems of drug abuse, crime and Islamic fundamentalism increasing on the islands.
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