Madivian women cast their votes in the presidential election in Male, Maldives, April 6, 2019. (PHOTO / FILE / AP)

MALE - The presidential election in the Maldives kicked off on Saturday, with over 282,000 eligible voters choosing the Indian Ocean archipelagic country's president with a five-year term.

A total of eight candidates contest this year's poll, including incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and Progressive Party of Maldives and People's National Congress coalition's candidate Mohamed Muizzu, who is also the mayor of capital city Male.

Voting started at 8 am and will end at around 4 pm local time on Saturday, with over 570 polling stations set up for the election.

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According to the constitution of the Maldives, a candidate needs more than 50 percent of votes in the first round to win outright. If no candidate obtains such majority, the top two candidates will go to a runoff.

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Local media reports said a runoff election will take place on Sept 30 if required.