Maldives elects president against backdrop of relations with China and India

2023-09-30 15:52:11

The Maldives will vote this Saturday in the second round of a presidential election perceived as a referendum on whether this archipelago should continue to privilege ties with India or orient its foreign policy towards China.

First modification: 09/30/2023 – 15:52

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The outgoing president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, faces an arduous race to secure a second term after a first term marked by his efforts to mend relations with India, which has been the traditional ally of this archipelago, but which faces competition from China.

The favorite, Mohamed Muizzu, leads a party that advocated a rapprochement with China when it was in power and defends returning to Beijing’s orbit of influence. Muizzu won the first round this month with 46% of the vote and Solih came second with a difference of 15,000 votes. “There were long queues before the polls opened,” an official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP.

In the first two hours of opening of the precincts, almost a quarter of the 282,000 eligible voters have already cast their vote, indicated the Electoral Commission. Polls close at 5:00 p.m. local time (12:00 GMT) and the results are expected to be announced on Saturday night or early Sunday morning. The Maldives archipelago is located in a strategic position in the Indian Ocean, on one of the busiest shipping routes in the world.

Muizzu’s party defends approaching China and being part of the New Silk Road infrastructure plan promoted by Beijing as part of its foreign policy. His mentor, former President Abdullah Yameen, requested large loans from China and relegated India, the traditional benefactor of this archipelago.

Solih, 61, was elected in 2018 by tapping into discontent with Yameen’s increasingly authoritarian politics and accused him of pushing the country into a trap by accepting China as a creditor. But Solih’s policy of mending ties with India is also controversial, with many in this archipelago questioning New Delhi’s political and economic influence.