Moizo's People's National Congress (PNC) won 66 of the 86 declared seats, according to the Maldives Electoral Commission, comfortably crossing the supermajority threshold in the 93-seat parliament.
The vote is seen as a crucial test of Moizo's plan to move forward with closer economic and defense cooperation with China, turning away from traditional ally India.
It should be noted that parliamentarism It is not the election of the president, but the results will determine whether Muizzu gets the position or not Political muscle To push forward pro-China policies.
Elections chief Fuad Tawfiq said about 73% of the 2,84,000 eligible voters cast their ballots to elect 93 members of the Maldives Parliament – known as the Council – For five years. Full results are expected late Sunday or early Monday.
According to the latest official figures, the Palestinian National Council leads with 59 out of 93 seats in the 20th People’s Assembly, giving it a comfortable majority in the next parliament. The parliamentary majority is reached by half the number of seats – i.e. 47 seats, and the supermajority can be reached by three-quarters of the seats, i.e. 70 seats.
A freer hand for Moiso: What it means for India
This month, while campaigning for parliamentary elections was in full swing, Moizu awarded high-profile infrastructure contracts to Chinese state-owned companies. His administration is also in the process of bringing home a garrison of 89 Indian soldiers, who operate reconnaissance aircraft gifted by New Delhi to guard the Maldives' vast maritime borders.
The current parliament, dominated by the pro-India Maldivian Democratic Party and led by Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Moiso's immediate predecessor, is seeking to thwart his efforts to reorganize the archipelago's diplomacy.
“The geopolitical aspects are largely in the background while the parties are campaigning for votes in Sunday’s elections,” a senior aide to Mwezo told AFP, requesting anonymity.
He added, “He came to power based on a promise to return Indian forces, and he is working to achieve that. Parliament has not cooperated with him since he came to power.”
If the results trends are any indication, Muizzu will likely have an easier time moving forward with his pro-China policies, which may jeopardize India's security interests in the region.
India out campaign
Mwizo, who took power late last year, ran his election campaign around the theme of “India exit,” accusing his predecessor Solih of endangering national sovereignty by giving India too much influence.
Relations were further strained when Indian social media activists started a boycott of tourism in the Maldives. This was in response to three Maldivian deputy ministers making disparaging remarks about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for raising the idea of promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, an Indian chain of islands similar to the Maldives.
According to recent Maldives government statistics, the number of Indian tourists has declined, causing the country to decline from being the number one source of foreign visitors to sixth place.
Moizu visited China earlier this year and negotiated an increase in the number of tourists and flights from China.
But last month, Moiso appeared to extend an olive branch when he acknowledged India's financial support for Mali and said that “India will remain the Maldives' closest ally.” At the end of last year, the Maldives owed India about $400.9 million.
India has so far adopted a restrained approach and downplayed the tense relations. Asked about relations between New Delhi and Mali after Moiso's election, External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar said neighbors need each other. “History and geography are very powerful forces. There's no getting away from it,” he said.
Beijing, which significantly boosted its aid to the Maldives and signed several agreements for infrastructure projects after Moizo came to power, is also closely monitoring the Maldives elections against the backdrop of its progress in the Indian Ocean and Mali's strategic importance.
(With inputs from agencies)
