President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has congratulated Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison on his election victory, which has taken his Liberal Party for a third term in government.
“In keeping with Australia’s strong democratic traditions, the Australian electorate has made their preferences known, and Prime Minister Morrison’s leadership qualities clearly played a strong role in influencing this outcome,” reads the president’s message.
He further noted that Australia “has been an invaluable development partner to the Maldives and [its] assistance has greatly improved the lives of Maldivians,” highlighting his administration’s confidence that “the cooperation that has characterized ties between Maldives’ and Australia will only continue to strengthen under the tenure of the new government.”
While Morrison and the Liberal Party emerged victorious in Saturday’s election, opinion polls pointed to an opposition Labor Party victory.
Following the surprise victory, the prime minister said that he had "always believed in miracles."
