MALE: The Maldives’ upcoming presidential re-election on September 9 will see President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih facing competition from a diverse field of challengers, as seven lower-profile candidates registered their nominations on Monday, according to the independent Elections Commission.
A total of eight candidates, including the 61-year-old incumbent Solih, have filed their nominations for the upcoming poll in the Indian Ocean nation. The Maldives, renowned for its luxury tourism, transitioned to a multi-party democracy in 2008, ending its previous status as a British protectorate and moving away from its former one-party system.
Former Maldives President Back a Proxy Candidate
Former Maldives President Abdulla Yameen, who was disqualified due to a criminal conviction for corruption and money laundering during his presidency from 2013 to 2018, had his Progressive Party of Maldives back a proxy candidate. The party has endorsed former housing minister and current mayor of Male, Mohamed Muizzu, aged 45.
Notably absent from the nominations was the current Speaker and former president, Mohamed Nasheed, aged 56, who was expected to enter the race after parting ways with his former ally, President Solih, last month. Nasheed, an internationally recognized climate activist, did not file his nomination by the deadline, potentially giving Solih a relatively smoother path to his second term in office.
Among the contenders is prominent businessman Qasim Ibrahim, aged 71, who leads the smaller Jumhooree party. Ibrahim had previously served as the speaker of parliament for approximately seven months until May 2019. Notably, there were no women candidates among the field.
The upcoming election is open to just over 280,000 eligible voters, both men and women over the age of 18. In the event that no candidate secures over 50 percent of the vote, a run-off between the two leading candidates is scheduled for September 30.
