Filed at 10:07 p.m. ET
MALE, Maldives (AP) -- President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom promised Wednesday to ensure a smooth transition from his three decade rule after a bitter political rival vanquished him in the Maldives' first democratic election.
In a rare show of unity, Gayoom and President-elect Mohamed Nasheed jointly addressed the nation from the presidential office just hours after the results from Tuesday's runoff election were announced and agreed to work together for the good of the people.
''I wish to assure the public and the international community that the transition to democracy in the Maldives will be smooth and uninterrupted in governance,'' said Nasheed, who smiled, shook hands and joked with his former rival as they addressed the nation.
''A test of our democracy will be how we treat Maumoon,'' the 41-year-old former political prisoner said of Gayoom. Amnesty International named Nasheed a prisoner of conscience in 1996.
Nasheed won 54 percent of the votes cast in this Indian Ocean nation. Gayoom, who had won six previous elections as the only name on the ballot, received 46 percent of the vote.
The roots of democracy took hold in the Maldives after violent civil riots in 2003 and fierce international pressure pushed Gayoom to begin a reform campaign. He lifted a ban on opposition parties, supported a new constitution and committed to the nation's first multiparty presidential election.
His reforms eventually led to his ouster.
Defeat hurt, the 71-year-old Gayoom said, but ''I have accepted the will of the people and concede the election.''
''I want this transition to be a smooth one. I will do everything to work with him (Nasheed),'' Gayoom said, calling on his followers to cooperate with the new regime.
The U.S. State Department applauded the election process. This ''is the culmination of decades of effort, including four years of work to rewrite the Maldives constitution, introduce a multi-party system, and conduct free and fair elections,'' spokesman Sean McCormack said.
Gayoom, Asia's longest serving ruler, oversaw the vast transformation of this collection of nearly 1,200 coral islands southwest of India into Asia's top luxury resort destination and shepherded decades of economic expansion. Opposition activists branded him a dictator who violently suppressed all dissent.
Nasheed will likely be sworn in Nov. 11, 30 years to the day after Gayoom took office in 1978.
''We've been waiting so long for this,'' said Aishath Abbas, a 28-year-old student, as hundreds of opposition supporters streamed into the streets of the capital, Male, honking car horns, cheering and dancing. ''It feels like a new world.''
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Associated Press reporter Olivia Lang contributed to this report.
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