Pro-China party wins Maldives election

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s party earned a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, local media reported, a result set to move the Indian Ocean archipelago closer to China and away from traditional partner India.

Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) won 71 of the 93 seats available on Sunday, preliminary results from the Maldives Elections Commission and media projections showed.

The PNC together with its coalition parties holds 75 seats in total while the main opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) dwindled to only 12 seats from 65 previously.

Jubilant voters celebrated with party poppers and cut cakes in their constituencies. Official PNC celebrations were due to start in the evening with a rally in Male.

Both Beijing and New Delhi have wooed the Maldives as they vie for influence in the Indo-Pacific region.