MALE, Oct 7, 2008 (AFP) - For the main opposition leader of the Maldives, life on the islands is a far cry from the more familiar image portrayed by holiday brochures.

While its white sand beaches and crystal clear waters may be a paradise for well-heeled tourists, the Indian Ocean nation is beset by rising crime, drugs, cronyism and corruption, according to Mohamed 'Anni' Nasheed.

And he is hoping that message will spur islanders to vote out incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Wednesday, in elections that mark the first time Asia's longest-serving leader has allowed any competition.

'This is an historic moment: during previous elections I've been in jail. But now Maumoon is facing the verdict on 30 years of rule,' Anni told a packed campaign rally late Monday.

'I spent many nights in jail, in solitary confinement, dreaming of this moment. We will win!'

A former Amnesty International prisoner of conscience and at the forefront of the struggle to bring democracy to the Muslim archipelago, Anni is being presented by his aides as the Maldives' very own Nelson Mandela figure.

Gayoom, they insist, should be compared to Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe -- having stayed in power since 1978 thanks to a ban on political parties, and only introducing democratic reforms after violent protests in 2004 and 2005.

Most observers say the 41-year-old founder of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is the strongest of Gayoom's five challengers, although a lack of credible opinion polls make the precise standings impossible to gauge.

Anni, however, clearly enjoys strong support on the cramped island capital Male, where his campaign rallies have dwarfed those of the 71-year-old incumbent.

He is promising better housing, healthcare, action against drugs and crime -- symptoms blamed on bored youths -- and not to fill up his government with members of his own family.

'Our rulers haven't seen what is happening to this nation: young people with knives, the average person having to work years on a luxury resort to afford basic housing,' he told supporters.

But analysts say Gayoom cannot be written off.

The president has been drawing large crowds while hopping between atolls detached from the relative hustle and bustle of Male, where more than half of the 208,000-strong electorate live and where his more conservative, traditional message is likely to garner more support.

Although both sides are convinced of a first-round victory on Wednesday, Anni's campaign aides say privately they are hoping to push Gayoom into a run-off.

A second round will be held within 10 days if no candidate gets more than 50 percent of the vote this week.