Maldives Ruling Party Loses Key Male Election To Pro-India Opp’n Amid Tensions With India
Mumbai: Pro-India opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has secured a victory in the Maldivian capital Male’s Mayoral election amid diplomatic tensions between Maldives and India.
MDP candidate Adam Azim has been elected as the new mayor of Male, a post which was earlier held by Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu. Muizzu resigned from the position to contest the presidential elections last year. Maldives media reported Azim’s win as a “landslide” and a “victory by a large margin.”
The MDP is led by pro-India former president Mohammad Solih, who was defeated by Muizzu in the presidential elections.
Huge Lead in Votes
With 5,303 votes, Azim had a sizable lead after 41 boxes had been counted. According to the Maldives’ Sun Online news portal, his opponent, Aishath Azima Shakoor of Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC), received 3,301 votes.
The election also had a poor turnout, according to reports.
The MDP, which still maintains a majority in the Parliament, is expected to see a boost in its political fortunes following its victory in the mayoral race.
Diplomatic Row with India
Three deputy ministers of the Muizzu government made disparaging remarks about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, which sparked a diplomatic spat with India, just before the mayoral elections. Muizzu aimed to bring the Maldives closer to Beijing during his well-publicized tour to China.
On January 13, he arrived back in Male following a five-day state visit to China.
Following their social media posts, Muizzu suspended the three ministers, raising concerns in India and prompting calls for a boycott by the country’s largest tourist group—India, followed by Russia. Chinese visitors came in third.
He has however also issued a strong declaration that Maldives being a small country is not a “license” for anybody to “bully” us.
Muizzu gave a strong response when asked about the comments like Maldives is situated in India’s backyard. The President declared that the Maldives is an independent, sovereign state and that we don’t belong in anyone’s backyard.
He came to power in the Maldives on the plank of the “India-out” campaign and has made various efforts to signify that they are going to unite with China in the struggle for the domination of the Indian Ocean Region.
ollow us on Twitter, Google News, and Instagram, and like us on Facebook for the latest updates and exciting stories.
