[ad_1]
Maldivians will return to the polls on September 30 to vote in a runoff poll between the top two candidates in the country’s presidential race after neither secured over 50% in the first round, the elections commission said on Sunday.
Main opposition candidate Mohamed Muiz managed a surprise lead with more than 46% of votes, while the incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who was seen as the favourite, got only 39%. The election on Saturday has shaped up as a virtual referendum over which regional power – India or China – will have the biggest influence in the Indian Ocean archipelago state.
The vote was to choose the country’s fifth freely elected president since Maldives became a multiparty democracy in 2008.
Solih is perceived as pro-India, facing off against Muiz, who is seen as pro-China. The result is seen an achievement for Muiz, who was a late selection by his party after its leader, former President Abdullah Yameen, was blocked from running by the Supreme Court. He is serving a prison term for corruption and money laundering.
Muiz had only three weeks to campaign. His strong stand against the presence of Indian troops in the Maldives could have been a significant factor in the election. Solih is seeking a second term and is battling allegations by Muiz that he had allowed India an unchecked presence in the country.
Muiz promised that if he wins, he will remove Indian troops stationed in the Maldives and balance the country’s trade relations, which he said are heavily in India’s favour. He, however, has promised to continue friendly and balanced relations.
The People’s National Congress, Muiz’s party, is viewed as heavily pro-China. While its leader Abdullah Yameen was president from 2013-2018, he made the Maldives a part of China’s Belt and Road initiative. Muiz seems to have taken advantage of a split in Solih’s Maldivian Democratic Party that led Mohamed Nasheed, a former president, to break away and field his own candidate.
Nasheed’s candidate, Ilyas Labeeb, secured 7% of the vote. The “India Out” campaign – spearheaded by Muiz’s party – has been ubiquitous on social media in the runup to the poll and almost all candidates except Solih adopted the “India vs. the rest” rhetoric.
Main opposition candidate Mohamed Muiz managed a surprise lead with more than 46% of votes, while the incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who was seen as the favourite, got only 39%. The election on Saturday has shaped up as a virtual referendum over which regional power – India or China – will have the biggest influence in the Indian Ocean archipelago state.
The vote was to choose the country’s fifth freely elected president since Maldives became a multiparty democracy in 2008.
Solih is perceived as pro-India, facing off against Muiz, who is seen as pro-China. The result is seen an achievement for Muiz, who was a late selection by his party after its leader, former President Abdullah Yameen, was blocked from running by the Supreme Court. He is serving a prison term for corruption and money laundering.
Muiz had only three weeks to campaign. His strong stand against the presence of Indian troops in the Maldives could have been a significant factor in the election. Solih is seeking a second term and is battling allegations by Muiz that he had allowed India an unchecked presence in the country.
Muiz promised that if he wins, he will remove Indian troops stationed in the Maldives and balance the country’s trade relations, which he said are heavily in India’s favour. He, however, has promised to continue friendly and balanced relations.
The People’s National Congress, Muiz’s party, is viewed as heavily pro-China. While its leader Abdullah Yameen was president from 2013-2018, he made the Maldives a part of China’s Belt and Road initiative. Muiz seems to have taken advantage of a split in Solih’s Maldivian Democratic Party that led Mohamed Nasheed, a former president, to break away and field his own candidate.
Nasheed’s candidate, Ilyas Labeeb, secured 7% of the vote. The “India Out” campaign – spearheaded by Muiz’s party – has been ubiquitous on social media in the runup to the poll and almost all candidates except Solih adopted the “India vs. the rest” rhetoric.
#Paleontology #Maldives #president #runoff #September #proChina #opposition #candidate #leads
