President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has declared October 1 a government holiday. The announcement was made through an official statement issued by the President's Office.
President Solih made the decision considering that September 30 is the designated voting day of second round for the presidential election. As such, officials from government offices and institutions and members of the general public are anticipated to be engaged with assignments and tasks related to the election and voting process. The President made the decision in response to a request submitted by the Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM).
The second round of the presidential election is scheduled to be held on September 30 after none of the candidates received 50% of the votes to win in the first round. The two candidates who moved on to the second round are Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the candidate of the opposition People's National Congress (PNC), and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the candidate of the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).