How did Ibrahim Mohamed Solih defeat Abdulla Yameen in the 2018 election?

In the 2018 presidential election, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih defeated the incumbent Abdulla Yameen primarily because the Maldivian opposition unified to oust Yameen by putting forward a single candidate.12

Leading up to the election, Yameen had faced significant criticism for stifling dissent, jailing political opponents, and declaring a state of emergency after the Supreme Court overturned the sentences of many of his rivals. Despite expectations that the September 2018 election would be used to consolidate Yameen's autocracy, Solih—a senior parliamentarian and close ally of former president Mohamed Nasheed—secured a surprising landslide victory with nearly 90 percent voter turnout.12

Although Yameen initially conceded, he later attempted to challenge the results by asking the Supreme Court to investigate allegations of voter fraud and election rigging. The court found no evidence of wrongdoing and upheld the results, allowing Solih to be sworn into office on November 17, 2018.12