Chairperson of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Fayyaz Ismail has said that with the defeat faced by their presidential candidate incumbent president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the party will maintain their position as opposition party and work towards holding the government accountable.
Presidential candidate of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People's National Congress (PNC), Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, was elected as President of the Maldives with 129,159 votes, representing 54 percent of the votes. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who was defeated in his bid for a second term in office, received 109,868 votes, which represents 46 percent of total votes.
Congratulating Muizzu on his victory, Fayyaz who is also the economic minister said that the MDP will now work responsibly towards holding the PPM/PNC government accountable.
Fayyaz posted on X, saying that MDP will also work towards strengthening democratic principles in the Maldives.
On behalf of MDP I would like to congratulate @MMuizzu and @HucenSembe for winning the Presidential Election today. As the opposition MDP will continue to responsibly hold the government accountable and ensure the protection of democratic principles in the Maldives.— Fayyaz Ismail (@faya_i) September 30, 2023
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has accepted his first defeat in his political career while contesting for a second term in office as president.
President Solih congratulated Muizzu in a post on social media and expressed gratitude to the people for the exemplary democratic conduct demonstrated during the elections. He further thanked the members of MDP and Adhaalath Party who worked with him, as well as those who voted for him.
Dr. Muizzu defeated the president Solih in the first round of the election held on the September 9 by securing 101,635 votes. President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih received 86,161 votes in the first round, a difference of 15,474 votes.