People first? The reign of a strongman leader in the Maldives ends at the ballot box as he tries to rig an election but loses anyway.

We begin this report about an election upset in the Maldives with the gratuitous use of the "L" word.

Unrivalled luxury, stunning white-sand beaches and an amazing underwater world make Maldives an obvious choice for a true holiday of a lifetime.

One million annual tourists visit the islands, which have a population of a little more than 420,000.

The Maldives is a republic lies south-west of the Indian sub-continent. It is made up of a chain of nearly 1,200 islands, most of them uninhabited.

None of the coral islands stand more than 1.8 metres (six feet) above sea level, making the country vulnerable to any rise in sea levels associated with global warming.

The economy revolves around tourism, and scores of islands have been developed for the top end of the tourist market.

Its political history has been unsettled since the electoral defeat of long-serving President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in 2008.

Back to that election.

President in paradise: An election upset in the Maldives (The Economist)

Abdulla Yameen, the strongman president, lost to a diminished opposition

THE last time Abdulla Yameen looked on the verge of losing power, in February, he declared a state of emergency and locked up two Supreme Court justices, members of parliament and even his own half-brother. His preparations for the presidential election on September 23rd appeared just as thorough. The most prominent leaders of the opposition remained in jail or in exile. The government had showered voters with pre-election goodies, such as waiving rent fines and trimming prison sentences. The police went as far as to raid the opposition alliance’s headquarters the day before the vote.

What could possibly go wrong for Yameen?

And yet, when the results came in, to general astonishment, Mr Yameen was declared to have lost, with only 42% of the vote. The winner was the unassuming but unjailed Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the leader of the diminished opposition in parliament. Mr Yameen, who had appeared determined to cling to power just six months before, conceded without protest.

Solih eloquently placed his victory into context.

“For many of us this has been a difficult journey, a journey that has led to prison cells or exile. “It’s been a journey that has ended at the ballot box.”

It seems that luxury projects and accompanying corruption scandals were a hallmark of the defeated Yameen.

Many of Mr Yameen’s big schemes will doubtless receive the scrutiny parliament was unable to give them previously. Some of his strongman policies, such as the re-introduction of the death penalty and the re-criminalisation of defamation, may be rolled back. And the corruption scandals and unexplained murders of critics that marred his rule are likely to be investigated more thoroughly.

When power-hungry candidates lose, it lifts one's spirits.

Either Li'l Stevie is writing Erika's lines, or vice versa.

Sewergeddon Monday: Delightfully and wonderfully us, and just as perpetually dysfunctional.

The Tribune's Daniel Suddeath resumes his slog through the muck and slime of local sewer politics as mostly usual, and informs us that the New Albany sewer solution could come Monday.

During a Wednesday meeting, Councilmen Kevin Zurschmiede and Bob Caesar declared their intentions to support Mayor Doug England’s proposal that would see sewer customers pay an immediate 23 percent rate increase.

Meanwhile, somewhere on the periphery, as CM Pat McLaughlin rehearses lines from either Hamlet or the memoirs of Donnie Blevins, while The King of Wannabeenville giddily prepares for the prospect of seeing the Publican in bike shorts Monday night, and pausing only to allow Jeff "What Flooding?" Gahan to take his pleasure craft for another outing down the River Styx, the oddsmakers are calculating factions.

Mayor England's "Plan B" has one tremendous positive factor going for it: Wizard of Westside Dan Coffey's against it, and was thoroughly kneecapped by it, although we know that he'll take a pound of the city's future from someone's flesh as retribution, and it doesn't ever matter about Steve Price, since he's been singing Dean Martin (to the tune of "That's Amore") for so long that it no longer matters:

When Maalox comes and tries to get funds -- why ask why?
That's a No vote

When a plan is designed, to make us realign
That's a No vote

Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And I’ll say “Not with my dime"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like the POH-lice overtime

When the facts make you drool, then go and play the fool
That's a No vote

If they’re paving the street, just move fast and delete
That's a No vote

As you snore through their dreams, turn your ire into screams
That's a No vote

Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And I’ll shout, “no eggs in this basket!"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
But the pergessives can fit in one casket

They’re all nooooooh voooohhhhhtttts!!!

So, for the sake of argument and cheap laughs, let's say that there's a 5-4 count in favor of "Plan B from Lower Sewer Space". Given that Gahan and McLaughlin can now be counted on to shine Coffey's shoes on command, one of those "ayes" must be Jack Messer's, right?

And, the vote will be on Monday night, which brings Harold Adams' delightful C-J headline into view: England to review Messer comments on race.

New Albany Mayor Doug England said he will decide Monday whether to act on racial comments made in January by Jack Messer, a city police officer and at-large city councilman.

What the hell is this, a city or "One Life to Live"?

Just imagine if we all set about to accomplish something rather than appease the dullards and pander to the non-achievers. What a wonderful world it would be. I'm not holding my breath. Beer anyone?