Maldives President Muizu’s party wins resounding victory in parliamentary elections
New Delhi:
Maldives President Mohamed Muizou’s pro-China stance may become stronger after his party, the People’s National Congress (PNC), achieved a landslide victory in the island nation’s parliamentary election held yesterday.
The PNC contested 90 of the 93 seats in the Maldives Parliament and won 66 of the 86 seats for which results were announced. This represents a more than two-thirds majority in the House of Representatives.
The outcome will enable President Muizul, who is seen as anti-India, to push policies through parliament. The seat tally has raised concerns in New Delhi, which has been eyeing Male’s tilt toward Beijing since President Muizou was elected to the top job last year.
Why this result is important
Parliament exercises oversight over the Maldivian executive and can block the president’s decisions. Before this election, the People’s National Council was part of the minority coalition in the House of Representatives. This means that even if Muizu is president, he does not have the political muscle to push policies.
Parliament at the time was dominated by the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP), a 41-member party led by Muizou’s pro-India predecessor Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. According to AFP, the Democratic Party will suffer a humiliating defeat this time, winning only a dozen seats.
Earlier, while the DPP-dominated House of Representatives blocked many of Muizu’s plans, opposition members publicly labeled and criticized his anti-India stance. A senior Muizou aide told AFP earlier, “When he came to power he promised to send back Indian troops and he is working hard to achieve that. Parliament has been uncooperative.” This result changes that. .
The election is seen as a test of Muizu’s plans to strengthen economic cooperation with China. Since taking office, the president has awarded major infrastructure contracts to Chinese state-owned enterprises. An electoral victory for his party would clear most of his hurdles.
Men increasingly prefer Beijing
New Delhi has expressed concern that Muizu has stepped up Taiwan’s engagement with Beijing since being elected in last year’s presidential election. Shortly after his election, Muizou visited Beijing and met with Chinese President Xi Jinping. After returning, he said: “We may be small, but that doesn’t mean they have the right to bully us.” Although he did not name any country, the remark was seen as a swipe at India.
President Muizu also urged the evacuation of more than 80 Indian soldiers stationed on the island doing humanitarian work.
Last month, however, Muizu acknowledged India’s financial support for Male and said “India will remain the Maldives’ closest ally,” seemingly extending an olive branch to the Maldives. As of the end of last year, the Maldives owed India approximately $400.9 million.
India has so far taken a restrained approach and downplayed tense relations. When asked about New Delhi’s relations with Male after Muizur was elected, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said the neighbors need each other. “History and geography are very powerful forces. There’s no escaping it,” he said.
For China, expanding its influence in the Indian Ocean is crucial to its push into the Indian Ocean at a time when the strategic Maldives has become one of the regions of immense geopolitical significance.
