[1] As no candidate won a majority in the first round, a runoff was held on 28 October between the two candidates among the contestants who received the most votes, incumbent president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed, who received the second most votes after Gayoom in the first round.

[4] The election was initially planned to be held on 4 October,[5] but had to be delayed after the Majlis (national assembly) did not pass necessary reforms on time.

According to the new Constitution, which came into effect on 7 August 2008, Gayoom had served the maximum number of terms allowed (two).

[7] The Supreme Court agreed that the limited terms were to be served "under this Constitution" and that Gayoom was therefore eligible to run in the election.

In a runoff round, the candidates among the two who receives fifty (50%) percent of the valid votes cast, are elected to the office of the president.

[18] A handful of riot police were deployed after 300 protesters gathered around the central vote-counting location, Nasandhura Palace.

[22] Registered voters were also able to cast ballots at Maldivian embassies and diplomatic missions in India, Malaysia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and the United Kingdom.

According to Gayoom, the results showed that he was the Maldives' "most popular public figure", and he said that he was poised for victory in the second round.

[26] Third-place finisher Hassan Saeed, a former attorney-general, threw his support to Nasheed and Dr. Waheed for the second round.