Ballot counting has begun across the Maldives with preliminary results from several boxes already coming in.

Voting across the Maldives closed at 4:00pm as previously planned, while voting opened at 8:00am.

At the time of press, 84 ballot boxes have announced preliminary results. Opposition candidate Mohamed Muizzu takes the lead with over 6,700 votes.

A total of eight candidates are competing this year while 282,395 are eligible to vote. The EC further revealed that 574 ballot boxes have been placed for the election