Maldives Polls Show President Muizzu's Party Winning. Implications For India

Maldives Polls Show President Muizzu's Party Winning. Implications For India

Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the pro-Indian predecessor of Muizzu, headed the Maldivian Democratic Party, which previously controlled the Majlis.

New Delhi: Mohamed Muizzu, the president of the Maldives, may become more pro-China if his party, the People's National Congress (PNC), wins resoundingly in yesterday's parliamentary election on the island country.

Out of the 93 seats in the Maldivian parliament Majlis, the PNC ran for 90 of them. Of those 86 seats, 66 seats have results announced. In the House, this is more than a two-thirds majority.

As a consequence, President Muizzu—who is seen as antagonistic to India—will be able to get legislation through the legislature. With President Muizzu's election to the top position last year, New Delhi has been closely following Male's shift towards Beijing, and the seat total is reason for alarm.

Why This Outcome Is Significant

The Majlis has the authority to stall presidential decisions and supervise the Maldivian government. PNC was a member of an alliance that was in the minority in the House prior to this election. This indicated that Muizzu lacked the political clout to enact laws despite his position as president.

At that time, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Muizzu's pro-India predecessor, headed the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which had 41 members and controlled the Majlis. With victories in only twelve seats, the MDP is expected to suffer a humiliating setback this time around, according to AFP news agency.

Previously, opposition MPs openly criticized Muizzu for his anti-India stance, even as the MDP-dominated House rejected several of his ideas. "He (Muizzu) came to power on a promise to send back Indian troops, and he is working on it," a top adviser to the politician previously told the news agency AFP. Parliamentary cooperation has been lacking." This outcome modifies that

The goal of this election was to assess Muizzu's proposals for increasing economic ties with China. The president has given Chinese state-owned enterprises significant infrastructure contracts since assuming office. The election success of his party should remove the majority of his challenges.

Men's Increasing Propensity to Beijing

Following his election as president last year, Muizzu increased the island's outreach to Beijing, a move that New Delhi has been wary about. Muizzu visited Beijing shortly after his election and had a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping. "We may be small, but this doesn't give them the licence to bully us," he added once he got back. Despite without naming any nation, the comment was seen as a jab at India.

The about eighty Indian troops who were stationed on the island to do humanitarian work were also pressured to leave by President Muizzu.

But when Muizzu said last month that "India will remain the Maldives' closest ally" and recognized India's financial backing for Male, it seemed like he was reaching out. The Maldives owed almost $400.9 million to India at the end of the previous year.

India has downplayed the deteriorating relations and taken a cautious approach so far. After Muizzu's victory, External Affairs Minister Dr. S Jaishankar said, "Nearbys need each other," when asked about New Delhi-Male ties. "Geography and history are very potent factors. That is unavoidable," he had said.

China's Indian Ocean drive, at a time when the area has gained enormous geopolitical importance, depends on them increasing their influence in the strategically positioned Maldives.