Election results in Malé raise concerns in New Delhi, as Muizzu’s policies have reduced the Maldives’ reliance on India and bolstered ties with Beijing.
If policymakers in New Delhi were hoping for some good news from the parliamentary election in the Maldives, the actual outcome would only add to the growing concerns within the Indian establishment regarding the situation in the Indian Ocean archipelago.
The ruling coalition led by Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu pulled off a landslide victory in the election, bagging 70 out of 93 seats in the People’s Majlis or more than a two-thirds majority in the unicameral Parliament. The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which dominated the outgoing Majlis and has worked for better ties with India, was able to win just 10 seats. More than 284,000 voters were eligible to participate in the polls, and the final turnout was pegged at more than 75%.
Indian officials had been hoping the MDP would reverse the slide in its political standing, especially since the party’s loss to Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) party in last year’s presidential election. However, the MDP’s campaign was unable to sway voters, who strongly backed the line taken by the president.