Sun Poll: Shahid leads as votes near 50,000-mark with six days left

A poll launched by Sun Online on Tuesday to gauge which candidate is considered most capable of representing the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in the upcoming presidential election has received 47,849 votes within its first 24 hours, with participation approaching the 50,000 mark.

The poll will remain open until 23:59pm next Monday.

Current results, with six days still remaining before voting closes, show former MDP President Abdulla Shahid leading the poll. Former Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail is in second place, followed by former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in third. Former Vice President Faisal Naseem ranks fourth, while MP Ahmed Shamheed is currently in fifth place.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed is currently ranked sixth. Although he has officially announced that he will not contest the presidential election, some MDP members continues to call for his candidacy.

Voting is being conducted through a dedicated section of the Sun Online website. Voters also have the option of sharing their preferred candidate on social media platforms, including Facebook and X.

With internal elections within the MDP traditionally marked by intense competition, a heated campaign involving the party's senior leadership is already underway ahead of the presidential primary.