By the evening of September 30, Maldivians will know who their new President will be—the India-leaning Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (‘Ibu’ Solih) of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) who is seeking a second term, or Male city Mayor Mohamed Muizzu, who is supported by the China-leaning main opposition party, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). While Muizzu has not said anything significantly anti-Indian, it is fair to assume that if he is elected the PPM will drive his governance agenda.
Early on September 10, the Maldives Elections Commission released the final numbers of the first round of the presidential election held the day before: of the 225,486 votes polled, Muizzu secured 101,635 votes (46.06 per cent), while President ‘Ibu’ Solih, managed only 86,161 votes (39.05 per cent). In third place was former President Mohamed Nasheed’s proxy candidate, Iliyas Labeeb (15,839 votes; 7.18 per cent). Of the five other candidates, none managed even a 3 per cent vote share.
