Maldives president’s pro-China party wins control of parliament in setback to India
MALE – Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s pro-China party president won a landslide majority in Sunday’s parliamentary election – an outcome that is set to shift the Indian Ocean archipelago away from its traditional partner India.
Muizzu’s People’s National Congress won 65 of the 93 seats, preliminary results from the country’s election commission and media projections showed.
The Maldivian Democratic Party of former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is seen as being pro-India, held 65 seats in the outgoing parliament but won only 12 seats.
Official results are expected to be announced later.
The election was closely watched by regional powers India and China, which are vying for influence in the region.
Muizzu, elected last year, has pledged to end the country’s “India First” policy, putting relations with New Delhi under strain.
His government has told dozens of Indian military personnel to leave the country, a move observers say could accelerate the country’s shift towards China..
At least 75 Indian military personnel were stationed in the Maldives and their known activities included operating two aircraft donated by India and assisting in the rescue of people stranded or faced with calamities at sea. Muizzu has moved to have civilians take over those activities.
Relations were strained further when Indian social media influencers started a boycott of tourism in Maldives. That was in retaliation for three Maldivian deputy ministers making derogatory statements about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, India’s Arstring of islands in the Arabian Sea similar to the Maldives.
Muizzu visited China earlier this year and negotiated an increase in the number of tourists and inbound flights from China.
Sunday’s election proved easier than expected for the president, who had been expected to face a tough fight after some of his allies walked out and more parties entered the race.
The opposition campaigned against Muizzu’s government over foreign policy issues and the economy. The results show they didn’t find much purchase with the voters.