Former Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid is the most capable candidate to represent the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in the 2028 presidential election, according to more than half of the participants in a Sun Online poll.

Shahid received 58.3 percent of the vote, while former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih came second with 16 percent. Former President Mohamed Nasheed received 13.9 percent, Dr. Ahmed Shamheed 6.7 percent, Fayyaz Ismail 4.9 percent and Faisal Naseem 0.3 percent.

A former Speaker of Parliament, Shahid also served as President of the 76th session of the UN General Assembly during President Solih’s administration.

Shahid and former MDP Chairperson Fayyaz have both announced they will contest the party’s presidential primary. Former Vice President Faisal Naseem and Dr. Shamheed, a member of the MDP parliamentary group, are also campaigning for support ahead of the primary.

Voting in the poll has closed, and the results can be viewed at sun.mv/polls/11. Sun Online has not disclosed the total number of votes cast.