President Mohamed Muizzu’s ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has secured a “supermajority” in Sunday’s parliamentary election, winning approximately two-thirds of the total seats, Maldives-based Sun Online reported on Monday.
Over 200,000 people voted in the parliamentary elections, which saw 326 candidates in the fray for 93 seats in Parliament, including six new seats.
According to preliminary results, PNC won 60 out of the 90 seats it contested.
The figure does not include the independent candidates who contested with the party’s support, as well as candidates from the Maldives National Party (MNP) and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), both of which are allied with the ruling coalition.
In the 2019 elections, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) had won 64 seats, while the then-opposition PPM-PNC coalition secured victory in just eight seats.
Ties between India and the Maldives have become strained since Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu assumed office.
Muizzu criticised India during the presidential polls. Subsequently, he after his election victory, the Maldives government formally requested India to withdraw its troops from Male.
However, in March, Muizzu requested New Delhi for debt relief measures, saying that India would continue to remain Maldives’ “closest ally,” local media reported.
He claimed that he had “not taken any action nor made any statements” that might strain the relationship between the two countries.
In an interview with local media outlet ‘Mihaaru’, Muizzu expressed his hope that India would accommodate debt relief measures for the Maldives in the repayment of the hefty loans taken from the country by previous governments, Adhadhu reported.
“The conditions we have inherited are such that there are very large loans taken from India. Hence, we are holding discussions to explore leniencies in the repayment structure of these loans. Instead of halting any ongoing projects, proceed with them at speed. So, I see no reason for any adverse effects [on Maldives-India relations].”
(With ANI input)
