In a historic turn of events, the opposition coalition candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has emerged victorious in the highly contested presidential election, according to preliminary results. He ran as the candidate of the People's National Congress (PNC).
In a head-to-head showdown against the incumbent president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who stood as the presidential candidate of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Muizzu secured a resounding 129,107 votes, translating to a 54.06% share of the total ballots cast. In contrast, Incumbent President Solih garnered 109,695 votes, securing 45% of the vote, resulting in a substantial margin of over 19,000 votes in favor of Dr. Muizzu. He emerged victorious in all but two atolls. President Solih secured the majority vote in Alifu Alifu Atoll and Addu City.
The voter turnout was impressive, with 87.11% of the 282,804 eligible voters exercising their right to vote. It equates to a staggering 246,349 citizens who actively participated in this pivotal election.