Maldives: Pro-China leader Mohamed Muizzu wins Presidential election; PM Modi congratulates
(Exciting news! Mint is now on WhatsApp Channel. Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest financial insights! Click here!) Muizzu, 45, helms a party that presided over an influx of Chinese loans when it last held power in the atoll nation, better known for its luxury beach resorts and celebrity tourists. He won 54.06 percent of the vote in the run-off contest, prompting incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih to concede defeat shortly before midnight.
The outcome also marks a stark reversal of fortune for Solih, who won the last election in 2018 by a landslide, amid widespread anger over human rights abuses and corruption under his predecessor. Mohamed Muizzu, 45, is a British-educated civil engineer. He was an unlikely candidate for the presidency after serving as construction minister in the government of his mentor Abdulla Yameen.
But Yameen's jailing for corruption saw Muizzu tapped to lead the party as his proxy in an election fought on whether the strategically placed atoll aligns itself with China or India. Muizzu oversaw several Chinese-funded infrastructure projects including a $200-million bridge linking the capital with the archipelago's main airport. Muizzu's election success hinged on a sustained campaign against India's outsized political and economic clout in the Maldives.
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