Maldives election: Polls underway for new president; could be key for India-China rivalry

Voters in the Maldives headed to polling stations on Saturday (September 9) with the incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih facing a tough re-election bid and against rival Mohamed Muizzu. The election is also being perceived as a battle for influence between New Delhi and Beijing in the region as Solih is seen as pro-India while his rival, Muizzu has a record of being close to China and recently launched an “India out” campaign.

About the Maldives elections

The polls closed at 4:00 pm (local time) and the final results are expected late Sunday, that is if any candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the votes. However, in case no candidate secures a majority, the second-round vote would take place on September 30.

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“All polling stations are open and voting has begun. We thought turnout might be low during the early stages. However, we have been surprised with many people queueing very early,” Fuwad Thowfeek, the president of the Elections Commission, told Reuters, earlier on Saturday. “So far, everything is moving smoothly without any disruptions or delays,” he added.

Around half of the island nations’ 520,000 people were expected to vote on Saturday. “We have registered nearly 40 per cent turnout in the first half of polling,” an election official told journalists, as per AFP.

“The process is orderly, lot of people turned up even before booths opened,” said the official, adding that they expected around 80 to 90 per cent of the 282,000 electorate to turn out.

Thousands turned out early at more than 570 polling stations across 187 islands, as per media reports. Maldivians were also voting at polling stations in India, Sri Lanka, and Malaysia and will also begin voting in the United Kingdom and Abu Dhabi.

Who are the main candidates?

A total of eight candidates are contesting for the top job in the country of 1,192 coral islets that are scattered in the Indian Ocean along some 800 kilometres. Solih, 61, and 45-year-old Muizzu have been leading the opinion polls ahead of the election.

The incumbent president Solih has sought another five-year term and championed an “India-first” policy, during his time in office. He is also slightly ahead in the polls. Dressed in a yellow T-shirt and cap, the colours of his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), he addressed a large gatheringin the capital Maleon Saturday, reported AFP.

On the other hand, Muizzu, who has a record of backing China has also launched an “India out” campaign, a part of which includes promising to remove a small Indian military presence of surveillance aircraft and some 75 personnel.

A poll of 384 people conducted by the Baani Center think tank last month found that 21 per cent of respondents favoured Solih compared with 14 per cent supporting Muizzu. However, they also found a record number of “undecideds” since the poll first began in April.

Muizzu entered the race after the Supreme Court of Maldives barred jailed former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom from taking part in the presidential elections, last month after a conviction for corruption and money laundering.

(With inputs from agencies)

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