Pres says 'saddened' by unfinished bridge; affected election outcome
Muizz, who advocates for stronger ties with China, defeated incumbent President Solih.
The results of the presidential election would have been different if the Thilamale Bridge, the biggest development project started by this government, had been completed by then, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said Monday.
Opposition PPM-PNC candidate Dr Mohamed Muizz, who advocates for stronger ties with China, defeated incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, known for his pro-India stance, in the second round of the presidential election held on Saturday, according to provisional results.
With all 584 ballot boxes now counted, Muizz leads the polls with 126,499 votes or 53,54%, while President Solih received 108,735 or 46.22% votes.
In his first appearance since Saturday's defeat, President Solih told reporters at the President's Office that the Greater Male Connectivity Project, which aims to link capital Male with its suburb of Villimale and the industrial islands of Thilafushi and Gulhifalhu, was not completed on schedule.
"It is something I regret. If it had been done, if it had been done, I think it would have had a positive impact on our election results. However, it was delayed due to many technical issues," he said.
Key statistics of the bridge:
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Total value of the project - USD 500 million (MVR 6.2 billion)
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USD 100 million (MVR 1.55 billion) in Indian grants
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Balanced financed by a credit line from Exim Bank of India
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The project was awarded to India's Afcons on 26 August 2021
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88 engineers are currently active
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164 engineers will be involved by the end of this year
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Experts from Turkey, Germany and Australia are also involved in the bridge construction
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The length of the entire bridge: 3.6 km
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220,000 cubic metres of land will be reclaimed
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3km road and jetty connecting the bridge will be developed
