Incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has acknowledged that the primary reason for the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) securing second place in the first round of the presidential election was the failure to adequately address unfounded allegations propagated by the opposition.
In Saturday's presential election, the PPM-PNC presidential candidate, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, emerged as the leading contender, securing 46 percent of votes. President Solih lagged behind with 39 percent. As no candidate had garnered the 50 percent of votes required for a single-round victory, a second round of voting has been confirmed.
In an interview with RaajjeTV on Monday morning, President Solih said the opposition targeted his campaign with various lies. These included allegations of the current government compromising the nation's independence and sovereignty, as well as various narratives concerning the purported presence of Indian military personnel in the Maldives.
"Some of those lies were repeated so frequently that it convinced the people. However, there is no truth to them," he said.
The president said he had not dedicated sufficient effort during the first round to clarify these narratives to the people. This proved to be the biggest challenge in the first round of the presidential election, he said. The President said he would explain the truth to the people in the second round of the presidential election, vowing to disclose as much information as possible. He further asserted that he had done nothing to compromise the country's independence and said he would prove that the opposition's claims were based on falsehoods.
The President said that by revealing this information, the people will understand that the rumors were spread through deception and lies. He assured that he would make every effort to clarify these matters in the upcoming round.
