THE last time Abdulla Yameen looked on the verge of losing power, in February, he declared a state of emergency, dismissed the police chief, rejected an order to release political prisoners and locked up two of the Supreme Court justices who had issued it. His preparations for the presidential election on September 23rd were just as thorough. The most prominent leaders of the opposition remained in jail or in exile. The government had showered voters with goodies, such as waiving rent fines and trimming prison sentences. The police even raided the opposition alliance's headquarters the day before the vote.
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