Mohamed Muizzu has won presidential elꩵections in the Maldives.
He defeated anඣ incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih🍃.
Muizzu is considered p൲ro-China, while S🅠olih had strengthened relations with India.
Solih accepted defeat in the run-off poll, and congratulated his rival Mohamed Muizzu wh🔥o won 54% of the votes.
Muizzu🐈, mayor of the capital Male, campaigned with the s﷽logan "India out”.
Solih will serve as caretaker president until his successor is inaugurated🌌 on 17 November.
Solih,the 61 year old from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had strengthened relations with India ever since he came to power in Male in 2018﷽.
He built strong cultural and financ♛ial ties with India and championed it &ꦰquot;India-first" policy.
The Maldives have long been under India's sphere of influence. Maldives assumes sign🐲ificance for India considering its strategic location which helps it to monitor large part of the Indian Ocean.
Who is Mohamed Muizzu?
Muizzu, 45, from the Progressive Alliance ꦦcoalition favours better relations with China.
China, with its rapidly expanding naval forces, wants access to such a strategically important location - something𒁃 India doesn’t want.
China is also watchful ൩about its energy supplies💙 from the Gulf which pass through the area.
🦂India has provided the Maldive♉s two helicopters and a small aircraft in the last decade.
Muizzu, born in 1978,ღ holds a PhD in civil engineering from the University of Leeds in the UK. He entered politꦦics in 2012 as minister of housing.
In 2021, he won mayoral elections in Male, a first for the PPM.
