Opposition candidate Dr Mohamed Muizzu likely to be Maldives President

New Delhi: In a major political development, preliminary results indicate that Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the opposition candidate, has emerged victorious in the 2023 presidential election in the Maldives.

As of now, Dr Muizzu has secured 53 per cent of the votes, while the current President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih trails behind with 46 per cent. The results are officially likely to be announced tomorrow.

Dr Muizzu had previously got 46 per cent of the vote in the first round of voting held on September 9. His victory came after the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) faced a setback when the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), initially aligned with the MDP, withdrew its support for the ruling party and instead endorsed Dr Muizzu.

The election runoff, which took place on September 30, saw an impressive turnout of 86 per cent among the 282,804 eligible voters. This turnout is higher than the 79 per cent recorded in the initial round but is still the lowest in the history of presidential elections in the Maldives.

The Progressive Party of Maldives – People’s National Congress (PPM-PNC) coalition, which nominated Dr Muizzu, initially put forward former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom as its candidate.

However, Yameen’s candidacy was disqualified due to his conviction for money laundering and bribery related to the sale of V. Aarah.

The Maldives criminal court last year in December sentenced former president Abdulla Yameen to 11 years in prison and fined him $5 million after finding him guilty of corruption and money laundering charges related to receiving kickbacks from a private company.

He was in power till 2018 and lost the elections to Solih, who continued to build good relations with New Delhi. Yameen’s close relations with China are well known and, during his tenure, India faced several issues in the Maldives.

The winning party’s close ties with China are expected to have significant implications, potentially posing a setback for New Delhi’s influence in the region. Meanwhile, Dr. Muizzu, close to Yameen serving as the Mayor of Male City before running for the presidency, will now vacate his mayoral position following this victory.