The most recent presidential election was held in September 2018; Mr Solih won 58.4% of the vote, against Mr Yameen's 41.6%. Presidential elections follow a two-round system. However, since Mr Solih and Mr Yameen were the only candidates in the 2018 election, the contest was decided by a simple one-round majority vote. The next presidential election is due in September 2023.

The latest election for the People's Majlis was held in March 2014, when an MDP-led coalition won a majority of seats in the chamber. The next legislative election is due in April 2019. The country will continue to follow a first-past-the-post system. Although it will be a multi-party election, the contest will be dominated by the country's three major parties: the MDP, the JP and the PPM. Given the recent wave in favour of Mr Solih, we expect the MDP to perform strongly. However, voter loyalties tend to be fluid.