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PoliticsMaldives

Maldives presidential election headed to runoff round

September 10, 2023

The two top contenders, incumbent President Solih and rival Muiz, failed to secure over 50% of the vote. The election is widely seen as a referendum on the country's warm ties with India.

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A commuter takes pictures with his mobile phone of a decorated wall along a street ahead of the country's presidential election, in Male on September 6, 2023.
Both India and China are vying for influence in the Maldives, which is made up of some 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, located by the main shipping route between East and the WestImage: MOHAMED AFRAH/AFP

Presidential elections in the Maldives seemed poised for a runoff round, after the two top candidates failed to secure over 50% of the vote on Saturday.

The official results of the first round are due to be out on Sunday.

However, preliminary results showed incumbent President Ibrahim Solih trailing behind his main rival Mohamed Muiz, with the former securing some 40% of the vote, as opposed to 46% for the latter.

The country's Elections Commission had scheduled a run off between the first two candidates on September 30.

A vote on India's involvement?

The presidential race is widely seen as a vote on India's involvement in the country. As a prime benefactor, India has inched much closer under Solih's "India-first" approach during his first term. The country also enjoys a small military presence in the Maldives archipelago.

Muiz, who is seen as the protege of former President Abdullah Yameen, has meanwhile promoted an "India out" campaign, and is expected to bring the country back to Beijing's fold, as was the case during Yameen's rule.

Muiz has also vowed to remove India's military presence in the Maldives.

Yameen, who would have been Solih's most serious contender, was banned from taking part in the vote by the Supreme Court, after he was convicted of corruption and money laundering.

Solih's share in the vote has been dented after a member of his Maldivian Democratic Party, Mohamed Nasheed, broke away and fielded his own candidate. The candidate, Ilyas Labeeb, has barely secured 7% of the vote.

Maldives political turmoil

rmt/sri (AFP, AP, Reuters)