A pro-Chinese opposition candidate is the Maldives’ new president

With 54 per cent of the vote, Mohamed Muizzu beat incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who had boosted relations with India over the past five years. India invested in development projects and deployed a few dozen military personnel, while China invested in infrastructure. Many voters were turned off by the outgoing administration’s high level of corruption.

Malé (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Sunday’s run-off election in the Maldives saw pro-Chinese opposition candidate Mohamed Muizzu win the presidency handily with 54 per cent of the vote.

Incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who in recent years had built up ties with India, accepted defeat. For India, the outcome marks its partial defeat in a strategic location in the Indian Ocean against China.

Muizzu managed to win over voters by portraying Solih's administration as corrupt and denouncing its pro-Indian leanings, which he claimed undermined the country's sovereignty.

After the victory, the new president, who will officially take office on 17 November, wrote on X (formerly known as Twitter) that voters “won win back Maldives independence”.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his congratulations, writing on X that "India remains committed to strengthening the time-tested India-Maldives bilateral relationship and enhancing our overall cooperation in the Indian Ocean Region."

Solih, of the Maldivian Democratic Party, moved the country closer to India after he was elected in 2018. His administration replaced that of Abdulla Yameen, of the Progressive Party, who had moved the country closer to China, joining the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing's mega infrastructure project designed to boost China’s trade with the rest of the world.

Yameen was unable to run because he is currently serving an 11-year sentence for corruption, but passed the torch to Muizzu, a former mayor of the capital Malé and minister in his cabinet.

During Solih's presidency, the Maldives received millions of dollars in development aid from India along with two helicopters and a military aircraft to strengthen its coast guard. This required the presence of 75 Indian soldiers for maintenance, which Muizzu used in the election.

Over the past few years, China too has expanded its naval presence near the Maldives, which is in the middle of important trade routes.

Running on an "India out" campaign, the new president saw a surprising result in the first round of voting on 9 September with 46 per cent of the vote, while Solih, until then the frontrunner according to opinion polls, stopped only at 39 per cent.

Just before the election, the United States opened a new diplomatic mission to better monitor political developments in the country.

Experts suggest that opposition charges of corruption explain Solih’s poor showing.

“Solih's government did not distinguish itself much from the Yameen government, as far as the general public was concerned," said Ahmed Shaheed, a former Maldivian foreign minister, speaking to Nikkei Asia.

"In fact, in regard to the rule of law and accountability, the Solih government has fared worse, while also being equally if not more corrupt and more inefficient," he added.

Muizzu, on the other hand, appealed to Malé residents as a skilled technocrat. A civil engineer by training, he served as housing minister and then President Yameen’s pick for the infrastructure portfolio.

At the time, a US$ 200 million bridge was built, financed by China, connecting Malé to the island where the country's international airport is located.

For some observers, the election result may not yet mean a total alignment with China. Instead, the country might take “more nuanced posture in trying to maximize economic benefits by constructive engagement with both India and China,” a source told Nikkei Asia.

• maldives
• china
• india
• united states
• presidential election
• mohamed muizza
• abdulla yameen
• mohamed solih