President-elect Mohamed Muizzu campaigned on an “India Out” platform, pledging to expel all Indian soldiers from the archipelagic nation.
An opposition candidate widely seen as pro-China won a runoff election to be the next president of the Maldives, marking a significant loss for Indian influence in the archipelagic nation.
In a statement celebrating his win, Muizzu emphasized that the people of the Maldives should put aside their differences and work together. “With today’s result, we have got the opportunity to build the country’s future. The strength to ensure the freedom of Maldives,” he said.The vote in Maldives highlighted a bitter divide between pro-India and pro-China camps in Asia’s smallest country.
The State Department congratulated Muizzu on his election win on Sunday. The United States “looks forward to deepening our partnership with Maldives and expanding our people-to-people ties,” spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated Muizzu. “India remains committed to strengthening the time-tested India-Maldives bilateral relationship,” Modi wrote on X.
Muizzu campaigned on an “India Out” platform, arguing that the military presence in the Maldives undermined its sovereignty and pledging to expel all Indian military personnel. He also capitalized on widespread discontent with the country’s low economic performance and leaned into more nationalist rhetoric.
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