Mohamed Muizzu, Maldivian presidential candidate of the opposition People’s National Congress, speaks to the media during the presidential election runoff in Male, Maldives, September 30, 2023. STRINGER/Portal
Pro-China candidate Mohamed Muizzu won the Maldives presidential election on Saturday, September 30. Pro-India outgoing President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih admitted defeat. “Congratulations to President-elect Muizzu,” he wrote on
The winner of the presidential election, who is also mayor of the capital of the Maldives, Male, promised the nationalist camp that he would reduce the archipelago’s dependence on India and give preference to China. Mr. Muizzu is the first elected mayor of Malé, the capital island, the most populous island in the archipelago, which consists of 1,192 coral islands scattered over about 800 kilometers in the Indian Ocean.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers In the Maldives, the pro-Beijing clan is leading the first round of presidential elections
Mr. Miuzzu’s victory could lead to a rapprochement with Beijing in a highly strategic region. This Indian Ocean archipelago is a luxury tourism mecca and sits on one of the world’s busiest sea routes in an area where India and China compete for influence.
The winner of the presidential elections, whose party came into Beijing’s sphere of influence during the term of office of his mentor Abdulla Yameen (2013-2018), particularly unreservedly defended the financial largesse granted by Beijing as part of the “new Silk Roads”, including a gigantic Chinese investment project in developing countries. While in Mr. Yameen’s government, Mr. Muizzu also spearheaded a $200 million Chinese-funded bridge project that linked the capital to the country’s main airport.
In the first round of the presidential election, he already had a comfortable lead (46.1% versus 39.1%) over outgoing President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who tried to improve strained relations with New Delhi during his term in office. Mr. Solih acknowledged his defeat and wanted to “congratulate the people who took part in a democratic and peaceful process.”
Voter turnout was 85% during the runoff, with watchdog Transparency Maldives noting some incidents of “electoral violence.” Police announced that they had arrested fourteen people for violating election rules.
Stick to the pro-Beijing line
In 2018, Mr. Solih won a surprise victory for the presidency, succeeding Mr. Yameen, who is currently serving an 11-year prison sentence for corruption and money laundering. He had criticized his predecessor for pushing the country into the Chinese debt trap by taking out massive loans for infrastructure.
At the time, Yameen’s government’s shift in favor of Beijing worried New Delhi, which shares Western concerns about China’s growing assertiveness in the Indian Ocean. When Mr. Solih came to power, he moved quickly to restore the archipelago’s ties with New Delhi by inviting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to his inauguration and allowing his small military presence to be strengthened. During the re-election campaign, he tried to gain support by advocating for local issues such as housing.
Mr. Muizzu’s party had focused the debate on diplomacy by criticizing Mr. Solih’s rapprochement with India, a country with disproportionate political and economic clout in the Maldives and the subject of longstanding discontent. His PPM party and activist groups have staged regular protests and called for a reduction in India’s influence in the Muslim nation.
During the campaign, Muizzu’s allies said his election would help rid the country of foreign interference. However, Mr Muizzu has openly expressed his plans to follow his mentor Yameen’s pro-Beijing line. “We look forward to returning to government in 2023 (…) to write a new chapter of strong relations between our two countries,” he said at a meeting with members of the Chinese Communist Party last year.
The world application
The morning of the world
Every morning, discover our selection of 20 items not to be missed
Download the app
However, during the campaign, former foreign minister Ahmed Shaheed assured Agence France-Presse that the next president “must balance the interests of India and China.” “You cannot reject India and survive,” he warned.
Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers The Maldives: between China and India, a torn archipelago