President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has declared Monday, October 2, 2023, a government holiday.

This was revealed through an official statement issued by the President's Office, on Sunday.

The declaration comes in response to the second round of voting in the 2023 Presidential Elections on Saturday, September 30, 2023. The President's decision acknowledges that tasks associated with the voting process are still underway.

Officials from government offices and institutions, as well as members of the public currently engaged with assignments and tasks pertinent to the election and voting process, prompted the decision. The President made t he move in response to a request by the Elections Commission of the Maldives.

The second round of voting in this year’s presidential election took place from 8am to 5pm, on Saturday.

Interim results show that 244,466 people voted in the election. This included 236,738 valid votes and 7,728 invalid votes.

A total of 282,804 were eligible to vote in this election

This year’s presidential elections was won by the opposition candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu with 52.19 percent of votes.