Penultimate Week, Pledge Contest, ‘India First’
News from August 26 to September 1: presidential election campaign enters final stretch; candidates promise airports, bridges and debt relief; and Muizzu backs ‘India First’ foreign policy.
Rival Visions, Campaign Clashes, Niqab Ban
News from August 19 to 25: President Solih and main rival Muizzu present bold manifesto pledges; violent confrontations occur between MDP and PPM supporters; and teachers allowed to wear face veil in policy reversal.
Housing Lottery, Manifesto Pledges, Campaign Trail
News from August 12 to 18: lottery draw underway for recipients of land plots in Greater Malé; Democrats and MDP launch election manifestos; and campaigning in full swing with three weeks left for September 9 polls.
Crunch Time, Campaign Violence, Swell Surges
News from August 5 to 11: Muizz enters crowded field amid leadership split over boycott proposed by Yameen; MDP campaign venue set ablaze as protesters clash with riot police; and unusually high tidal swells wash over bridge highway.
Yameen’s Candidacy, Muizzu Backup, Terrorism Financiers
News from July 29 to August 4: opposition leader seeks Supreme Court order to contest from prison; Malé mayor chosen as backup candidate; and U.S. designated 20 Maldivians as “key leaders and financial facilitators” of IS and al-Qaeda.
Electoral Rights, New Candidates, Independence Day
News from July 22 to 28: Supreme Court rejects petition to ensure ex-president Yameen’s right to run for office; Ilyas Labeeb and Faris Maumoon emerge as presidential candidates; and Maldives celebrates 58th anniversary of independence.
Consensus Candidate, Pledges Galore, Candidacy Deadline
News from July 15 to 21: JP, MNP and Democrats propose fielding common opposition candidate; President Solih covers three atolls on the campaign trail; and opposition leader Yameen remains ineligible with just over two weeks left to get on ballot.
Campaign Launch, Nasheed’s Democrats, Exile Return
News from July 8 to 14: President Solih launches re-election campaign; Speaker Nasheed officially joins The Democrats; and exiled ex-tourism minister returns after dropping of sexual assault charges.
Common Candidate, RDC Corruption, Apartment Scam
News from July 1 to 7: Nasheed angers opposition with call for Yameen to drop out of presidential race; MVR13 million allegedly embezzled from Road Development Corporation; and businessman implicated in fraudulent apartment sales taken into custody.
Land Plots, Frenemy Alliance, Mystery Animal
News from June 24 to 30: new land pledged for all eligible native residents of Malé; Democrats team up with opposition PPM-PNC; and mysterious feline spotted in Maafaru airport declared harmless.
Nasheed Out, Resort Rape, Democrats Registration
News from June 17 to 23: ex-president and co-founder leaves MDP; Chinese tourist accuses Ritz-Carlton butler of sexual assault; and Elections Commission members at odds over approving registration of new party.
