MALE (AFP) - - A bitter campaign ahead of historic democratic presidential elections in the Maldives drew to a close Tuesday, with a veteran Asian leader and a prominent dissident each confident of victory.

The polls on Wednesday will be the first time incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who has ruled with an iron fist since 1978, has agreed to allow any challengers for the top job in the Indian ocean tourist paradise.

He is facing five challengers, with his main rival seen as being 41-year-old Mohamed 'Anni' Nasheed -- a former political prisoner championed by supporters as the Muslim archipelago's very own Nelson Mandela.

But Gayoom, aged 71 and Asia's longest-serving ruler, is promising "five more dynamic years" in charge. Aides say they are confident Gayoom will win more than 50 percent of the vote on Wednesday and avoid a run-off.

The president has been drawing large crowds while hopping between outlying atolls, where over half of the 208,000-strong electorate live and where his more conservative, traditional Muslim manifesto is likely to strike a chord.

Gayoom's bitter opponents, meanwhile, appear to have strong support in the cramped island capital Male, where people have been hit by worsening overcrowding, surging prices and a serious drugs problem among bored youngsters.

"The feeling in Male is that people want a fresh face, and Anni has a lot of support because he was responsible for forcing the president to accept multi-party elections," said a civil servant involved in the polls who asked that his full name not be published.

"But the president has support from older people and in the distant islands. A lot of people may vote for him because they're used to it or because they are afraid of upheaval. So its impossible to say who will win."

There are no reliable opinion polls, although many people expect a run-off between Gayoom and Anni within 10 days.

Anni has meanwhile accused Gayoom of dirty tricks -- such as claiming his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) wants to convert everyone to Christianity -- and worsening intimidation as the campaign enters its final stretch.

And in one of his final big rallies late Tuesday, he appealed to islanders to "not sell your votes" -- implying Gayoom may be using undoubted clout to buy up support via atoll chiefs appointed by him.

The polls are the climax of reforms implemented by Gayoom after dissenting islanders took to the streets in 2004 and again in 2005.

He also escaped an assassination attempt in January, when an islander tried to stab him with a kitchen knife, and the country suffered its first extremist attack a year ago, with alleged Islamic militants blamed for bombing a park and wounding a dozen tourists.

Previously, it was illegal for anyone to even suggest being president. A candidate had to be selected by the 50-member majlis, or national parliament, before securing the invariable "yes" vote at a referendum.