The Elections Commission (EC) has announced that this years Presidential Election will be held on September 9, 2023.

The date for the Presidential Election was announced during a press conference held Sunday morning.

The Elections Commission also sated that, in case of a second round in the presidential election, runoff voting will be held on 30th September, 21 days after the first round, as stipulated by the law. Applications will be opened for candidates to file their candidatures 3rd July onwards, said President Fuwad Thowfeek.

Earlier the Vice President of Habeeb has said that EC will be preparing for a run-off round.

While currently EC is getting ready to publish the voters list on 2nd May, President Fuwad also stated that the opening date for voter registration would be 16th July 2023.

The Maldives Constitution states that, in case of a second round in the presidential election, runoff voting is required if no candidate manages to secure 50 percent plus one vote in the first round.

2018 Presidential elections were held in the Maldives on 23 September 2018. Incumbent president Abdulla Yameen of the Progressive Party of Maldives was seeking re-election for a second five-year term. His only challenger was Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party, who was nominated as the joint candidate of a coalition of opposition parties.

The result was a surprise victory for Solih, who received over 58% of the vote and was elected as the seventh President of the Maldives.

President Soih assumed office on 17 November 2018. Solih is the country’s third democratically elected president since Mohamed Nasheed’s victory over Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in the 2008 elections which ended a 30-year one man rule.