Voters in the Maldives have begun voting in the island-nation's first democratic presidential election.
President Mamoun Abdul Gayoom, who has won six previous elections as the only candidate on the ballot, now faces five opponents. In all, 208,000 people are eligible to vote, and the final result is expected on Thursday. If no one wins an outright majority, the top two vote-getters will face off in a second election within 10 days. The 71-year-old Gayoom, who came to power in 1978, is Asia's longest-serving leader.
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