Opposition candidate Mohammed Muizz has won the Maldives presidential election. Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Muiz defeated the pro-India incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. Muiz is currently the mayor of Male city, the country's capital. He is considered a supporter of China. His emphasis is on strong relations with China.

According to local media, after tallying the results of all 586 ballot boxes, Muizz got 53 percent of the votes. Whereas the current President Ibrahim Mohammad Solih has got 46 percent votes. The main contest in this election was between current President Ibrahim Mohammad Solih and Muiz. This election was a kind of referendum on who the people of Maldives want to keep closer between India and China. Voting was held for the second time on Saturday for the presidential election. No one got 50 percent of the votes in the voting held on September 8.

After his victory in the presidential election, Muijs thanked everyone who supported him in a statement. Also called on the government to release former President Abdulla Yameen, who is serving an 11-year prison sentence on corruption charges. “Today is a very happy day… I express my gratitude to all the people of Maldives from the bottom of my heart,” he said in the statement. Today's result will strengthen our efforts to create a better future for our country and ensure the sovereignty of our nation.

At the same time, after the election results, Maldives President Ibrahim Solih accepted defeat and congratulated Muiz. "Congratulations to Muiz on winning the presidential election," he said in a post on Twitter. Thank you for the beautiful democratic example set by the people in the elections. Thanks to the members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) who worked together.

According to the Election Commission of Maldives, around 80 percent voting took place on Saturday. This election was very important for India, because Muiz had promised to reduce relations with India after winning the election. Muijs says that he will further strengthen relations with China. In 2018, when the then President of Maldives Abdulla Yameen had to leave power, Muizz was the country's Construction Minister. When Yameen went to jail, Muiz got a chance to lead his party.

Maldives Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid congratulated Mohammed Muizz on winning the presidential elections. “Congratulations to newly elected President Dr Mohammed Muiz for winning the 2023 presidential election,” he wrote in a post on social media. Many congratulations and gratitude to outgoing President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who has sown many seeds of hope in the last five years that will put our country on the path to prosperity.