COLOMBO -- Maldivian voters have raised the geopolitical stakes for the second and final round of the presidential election on Sept. 30, having given pro-China opposition candidate Mohamed Muizzu a commanding lead over India-friendly incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the first round on Saturday.
Muizzu performed much better, and Solih far worse, than analysts had anticipated and polls predicted. Citizens gave the former -- the mayor of the capital, Male, and candidate of the People's National Congress (PNC) -- 46% of the vote. This secured his spot in the final runoff, in which the winner must get over 50% of the votes.
