Maldives voters throw out China-backed strongman president

Election result is extraordinary rebuke to Abdulla Yameen, who jailed rivals during rule

Voters in the Maldives have thrown out the incumbent president, Abdulla Yameen, in an extraordinary rebuke to a leader who jailed political opponents and judges and drew his country closer to China during a tumultuous five-year term.

Yameen formally conceded defeat in a televised address on Monday, ending hours of apprehension in the capital, Mali(C), over whether the strongman would accept the decisive result or try to hang on to power.