Big news from the Maldives! President Mohamed Muizzu's ruling party just won by a landslide in Sunday's parliamentary election, grabbing a two-thirds majority. This win is shaking things up, as it's likely to move the archipelago nation in the Indian Ocean closer to China, away from its longtime friend, India.
The People's National Congress (PNC), led by President Mohamed Muizzu, is expected to win around 62 out of the 93 seats in Parliament. This is more than enough for a majority in the 93-member parliament. The Maldives Democratic Party (MDP), the main opposition party, is expected to get about 15 seats, according to local news channels cited by Reuters.
With Muizzu's presidency staying strong, both Beijing and New Delhi's influence in the Indo-Pacific region is likely to lean towards China. President Muizzu, who started his term last year, has promised to move away from the country's previous "India First" stance, causing some tension with New Delhi. Recently, his administration asked Indian military personnel at several locations to leave the country.
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The Democratic Party, led by former president Mohamed Nasheed, did not win any seats it competed for. This party split from the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) in 2023. Similarly, the new party led by former president Abdulla Yameen also faced defeat in all the seats it ran for, according to Reuters.
The People's National Congress (PNC) achieved significant wins in areas that used to support the MDP, such as the capital Male, Addu City, and Kulhudhuffushi City in the north.
In the parliamentary election, voters had to choose 93 members for the next five years from a total of 368 candidates. Voter turnout was 72.9%, as reported by the Maldives Elections Commission, which is lower than the 82% in 2019.
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Explained: The India-Maldives Controversy Unpacked
Prime Minister Modi's Instagram post on January 5th, featuring him on a beach in Lakshadweep, has stirred up controversy and potential tension between India and Maldives.
The issue started when three deputy ministers in the Maldives Ministry of Youth Affairs - Maryam Shiuna, Malsha Shareef, and Mahzoom Majid - made negative remarks about India and the Prime Minister after his recent visit to Lakshadweep.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, Shiuna mentioned India's ties with Israel. Her colleagues also joined in, suggesting that the Indian Prime Minister's visit to Lakshadweep was aimed at challenging Maldivian tourism, which is famous for its beautiful beachside attractions.
After the Indian government brought up the issue, the Maldives government suspended the three ministers. In an official statement, the Maldives government mentioned, 'The Government of Maldives is aware of disrespectful comments on social media about foreign leaders and high-ranking individuals. These are personal opinions and do not reflect the views of the Maldives government.' They also emphasized that 'freedom of expression is important but it should be done responsibly."
India and Maldives Relationship
Maldives is an important neighbor for India in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR). It plays a key role in initiatives like 'SAGAR' (Security and Growth for All in the Region) and is a focus area for India's 'Neighbourhood First Policy.'
President Mohamed Muizzu of Maldives made headlines after his inauguration in November 2023 when he asked India to remove its military presence from the Maldives archipelago (group of islands). India has stated that its military presence is mainly for providing medical aid to the islands of the Indian Ocean nation. President Muizzu later met PM Modi during the climate summit in Dubai on December 1.
The recent disagreement comes before Muizzu's visit to China and was covered by Chinese state media Global Times, which praised the president's foreign policy, saying, 'It shows that Muizzu is approaching India with a normal attitude and steering Maldives-India relations to a normal state-to-state relationship.'
Response to the Situation
During the India-Maldives disagreement, Indian celebrities, athletes, and business leaders such as Akshay Kumar, Bhumi Pednekar, Pooja Hegde, Madhur Bhandarkar, PV Sindhu, Shilpa Shetty, Varun Dhawan, and Snapdeal Co-founder Kunal Bahl, have expressed their interest in visiting the islands of India, particularly Lakshadweep. This controversy has led many Indians to cancel their vacation plans in Maldives, with screenshots of cancellations circulating on X. There's also a trending hashtag on X, #ExploreIndianIslands, where people are discussing Indian beaches and islands since yesterday."
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