The People’s National Congress (PNC) of pro-Chinese President Mohammad Muijzu has won by a large margin in the parliamentary elections of the Maldives. Preliminary results released showed PNC candidates winning more than two-thirds of the country’s 93-seat parliament. Analysts believe that the huge victory in the election is a support for President Muijju’s pro-China policy.
Out of the 86 parliamentary seats that the Election Commission of Maldives has released, PNC candidates have won 70 seats. This position is enough for an absolute majority in Parliament.
The outcome of Sunday’s election is expected to push the Indian Ocean island nation further away from longtime ally India and closer to China.
What is the message of PNC’s victory for India?
This year’s parliamentary elections in Maldives became the center of attraction for two reasons. The election was setting the stage to test the acceptability of Muijju’s ‘anti-India stance’ and ‘closer to China policy’ to the Maldivian people.
Bilateral relations between Maldives and India have deteriorated since Muijju came to power. He has already increased closeness with China. He even ordered the removal of Indian troops from Maldives. Finally, the Indian government started the process of evacuating the army personnel from Maldives.
It is in this atmosphere that the country’s parliament elections are held. Maldivian opposition parties also campaigned against the Muijju government’s anti-India stance. But nothing could stand in the way of Muizzur’s party getting an absolute majority in Parliament.
This year’s election in Maldives was a tough test for Mohamed Muijju. Because, although the pro-Chinese Muijju was the president, the control of the parliament was in the hands of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the party of his pro-Indian Ibrahim Mohammad Solihar. As a result, it was considered a challenge for the PNC to take control of the parliament or not.
This big victory of Muijju’s party in the elections meant that the countrymen supported his party despite its political leanings towards China rather than towards India.
Why are these results important?
Muijju won the presidential election in September last year by expressing his anti-India stance. He took a pro-China stance like former Maldives President Abdullah Yameen. Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison on corruption charges. However, he was released when the court canceled the sentence last week.
The local media has described the victory of Mohammad Muizzur’s team as a ‘super majority’. His party, the PNC, achieved the two-thirds majority in parliament needed to amend the constitution.
Mohamed Muijzu is president but lacks a majority in the country’s parliament, the People’s Majlis, which has prevented his three nominees from joining the cabinet over objections from opposition lawmakers. The opposition also objected to the passage of several bills proposed by Muijju.
Former President Ibrahim Mohammad Salih’s party, known as pro-India, was under the control of the MDP in the previous parliament. However, in this election, the party won only 15 seats. As a result, it will be easy for Muizzur’s government to take decisions as it has a majority in the parliament.
Azim Zaheer, a Maldivian analyst and lecturer at the University of Western Australia, said this is a significant achievement for Muijju. As a result of this victory, Muijju will now control everything from a political institutional point of view. Theoretically he can also control the judiciary. Because his party got enough seats in parliament.
Meanwhile, the election in the Maldives was seen as a test of Muijju’s plans to increase economic cooperation with China. After assuming the responsibility of the President, he visited Beijing. During the visit, he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping and high-level officials of the country. During that visit, he pledged to continue strong ties with Beijing.
The result of the parliamentary elections in Maldives is certainly a matter of concern for India. It is expected to have a significant impact on the country’s foreign policy, especially in relations with India and China. Muijju’s victory will increase rapprochement with China, which could affect the strategic balance in the Indian Ocean region.
