Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu won over 60 seats in Sunday's crucial parliamentary election and passed the litmius test with a "supermajority"in a big boost for his government which is known for its pro-Beijing policies, being closely watched by both India and China amidst regional power dynamics.
According to information released by the Elections Commission (EC), 207,693 people cast their ballots as of 5:00 pm local time, making for a voter turnout of 72.96 per cent, according to a news agency PTI report.
This includes 104,826 men and 102,867 women. A total of 284,663 people were eligible to vote to elect lawmakers for 93 constituencies in the 20th People's Majlis.
In fray were 368 candidates, including 130 independents, 10 from Jumhoory Party (JP), 39 from The Democrats, Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) 4, Adhaalath Party (AP) 4, and Maldives National Party's (MNP) two nominees.
As per a sun.mv news portal report, PNC contested for 90 constituencies, while main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) contested for 89 constituencies.
Mohamed Muizzu, the pro-China leader who won the Maldives presidential election in October 2023, leads the People's National Congress, a party that presided over an influx of Chinese loans when it last held power in the country, known for its luxury beach resorts and celebrity tourists.
The election in the Maldives came amid deteriorating ties between the island nation and India since Muizzu, 45, assumed power last year. During last year's presidential election, he had maintained a strident anti-India stand.
While India was forced to withdraw most of its military personnel manning three aviation platforms in the country, Muizzu travelled to China in January and met top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping.
China and the Maldives also signed a defence cooperation agreement and several other infrastructure development projects.
