Maldives elections on September 30: Why India is watching closely

Maldives goes to runoff polls this Saturday, after no candidate secured more than 50% of the votes in the first round on September 9. Maldives' electoral system is similar to France, where the winner has to secure more than 50% of votes. If no one crosses the mark in the first round, in the second round, the top two candidates go head to head. In the first round of polling, Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) got 39% of the votes, while the Opposition alliance candidate Mohamed Muizzu got 46%. The first round was also…