Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s Party Loses Male Mayoral Poll Amid Diplomatic Row With India

In a setback for Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, the pro-India opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) secured a landslide victory in the capital Male’s Mayoral election on Saturday, January 13. The newly elected Male Mayor, Adam Azim, is a member of the MDP and has assumed the position previously held by Muizzu, who resigned to contest the presidential elections in 2023. The Maldives media reported Azim’s win as a “landslide” and a “victory by a large margin.”

MDP, led by pro-India former president Mohammad Solih, faced defeat by Muizzu, a pro-China leader, in the presidential elections. With 41 boxes counted, Azim has taken a significant lead with 5,303 votes, while his rival Aishath Azima Shakoor of Muizzu's People’s National Congress (PNC) received 3,301 votes, as reported by Maldives’ Sun Online news portal.

The election witnessed a low turnout, according to reports. The Mayoral victory is anticipated to rejuvenate the political fortunes of the MDP, which still holds a majority in the Parliament. Muizzu returned to Male on Saturday after a five-day state visit to China. The Mayoral polls took place amid a backdrop of derogatory comments posted by three deputy ministers of the Muizzu government against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading to a diplomatic row with India. During his high-profile visit to China, Muizzu sought to align Maldives closer to Beijing.

In response to the social media postings, which stirred concern in India and prompted calls for a boycott by Indian tourists (the highest in numbers, followed by Russia, with Chinese tourists ranking third), Muizzu suspended the three ministers.