Maldives vote gets under way in shadow of China-India power play
- Ibrahim Mohamed Solih faces a hard task securing a second mandate after working to improve strained relations with traditional benefactor India
- Party of front runner Mohamed Muizzu presided over Chinese investment cash when in power, and he is likely to enter China’s orbit if he wins
Voters in the Maldives went to the polls on Saturday to decide their next president in an election seen as a referendum on whether to hitch their fortunes to China or India, both vying for influence in the tropical paradise.
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih faces an uphill battle to secure a second mandate after working to improve strained relations with New Delhi, the archipelago nation’s traditional benefactor, insisting the Indian military’s presence in the Maldives was only to build a dockyard under an agreement between the two governments and that his country’s sovereignty will not be violated.
Meanwhile, front runner Mohamed Muizzu helms a party that presided over an influx of Chinese investment money when it last held power and has signalled a return to Beijing’s orbit if he wins.
Muizzu has promised that if he wins the presidency, he would remove Indian troops from the Maldives and balance the country’s trade relations, which he said were heavily in India’s favour.
Muizzu won a first-round election earlier this month, taking 46 per cent of the votes but finishing ahead of Solih by barely 15,000 ballots.