MALE: Maldives Presi­dent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said on Sunday he was seeking allies in his bid for re-election in a runoff vote, a day after finishing second in initial polls.

Solih’s attempt for a second term has been turned into a referendum on his pursuit of renewed ties with India, the archipelago nation’s traditional benefactor. Final official results showed Solih took 39.05 per cent of the vote, behind his key rival, the capital’s mayor Mohamed Muizzu, on 46.06pc.

“We have to ally with others,” 61-year-old Solih told reporters, blaming his poor showing on “unforeseen factors” but without giving details. The independent Elections Com­mission said the runoff election will be on Sept 30.

Muizzu got 101,635 votes while Solih managed 86,161, with the other candidates in the race now standing down. Third-placed Ilyas Labeeb, a breakaway candidate from Solih’s Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) who got 15,839 or 7.18pc, has not indicated which of the top two candidates he will now support.

Muizzu, 45, is a proxy of former president Abdulla Yameen, who is both pro-China and a campaigner for drastically reducing economic and military ties with India. Yameen is serving an 11-year sentence following his corruption conviction in December and was barred from contesting Satur­day’s vote. He borrowed heavily from China for construction projects during his autocratic five-year tenure, making the Maldives — better known for its luxury tourism — a hotbed of geopolitical rivalry.

After his shock victory five years ago, Solih moved swiftly to repair relations with New Delhi strained under Yameen, who banked on Beijing for loans and diplomatic support.

Published in Dawn, September 11th, 2023