The Maldives voted today in the second round of a presidential election that will be defined between two candidates who have already held office and who are debating whether to orient their foreign policy towards India, a traditional ally, or towards China and the New Silk Road.
The outgoing president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, faces an arduous race to secure a second term after a first period marked by his efforts to improve relations with India, the traditional ally of this archipelago, but which faces competition from China.
The favorite, Mohamed Muizzu, leads a party that advocated a rapprochement with the Asian giant 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.
The Maldives archipelago, consisting of 1,192 coral islets spread over some 800 kilometers in the Indian Ocean, is a hotspot for luxury tourism and a destination of choice for celebrities and wealthy personalities from around the world.
It 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, borrowed heavily 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 improving ties with India is also controversial, with many in this archipelago questioning New Delhi’s political and economic influence.
Solih and Muizzu voted at separate polling stations in Malé, the capital, and both told reporters they were confident of victory.
The scrutiny ended at 5 p.m. (9 a.m. in Argentina) and the results are expected this afternoon or tomorrow, reported the AFP news agency, which, citing the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ahmed Shaheed, anticipated that the election will be “very close.”
Source: Ambito
