Maldives elections closely observed by India and China

Maldives is holding its presidential election this year

The Maldives is holding its presidential elections this Saturday. It is a closely contested election to determine a winner. India and China are observing the archipelago as a battle of power. 

President Ibrahim Solih is campaigning for his second five-year term. Solih had championed an India-first policy during his campaigns. Preliminary results show that he is slightly ahead at the polls. 

Mohamed Muizza is Solih’s rival in the elections. There are records of Muizza being close to China. He has promised to implement an India Out campaign. He wishes to remove all Indian presence from the country. It includes several surveillance crafts and around 75 Indian personnel. 

Muizza was allowed to contest the elections after former President Abdulla Yameen could not participate. He was convicted by the Supreme Court for corruption and money laundering. 

The results will be announced on Sunday if it is a close race. If neither candidate secures a majority, a second election will be held on September 30 to determine a winner. 

Half of the 520,000 population were to cast votes on Saturday. Thousands of voters showed up at 570 polling stations across the 187 islands. Polling booths were also in India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia. Britain and Abu Dhabi will also set up polling booths. 

The Maldives conducts polls to determine the winner.

Fuwad Thowfeek, the president of the Election Commission of the Maldives, states that there were low turnout expectations during the early stages. However, voters surprised them by queuing early. Everything has progressed smoothly. 

The Baani Center, a think tank, conducted a poll with 384 individuals. The results show that 21% favour Solih while 14% favour Mauzzi. Since April respondents have participated in the poll. 53% of respondents were undecided. It is the highest number of undecideds seen.