The Maldives, South Asia’s smallest nation-state, sent a clear signal through its latest presidential election: democracy is thriving. The holding of yet another free and fair election enhances the country’s international prestige. The key issues at play related to the concerns of voters, especially young voters, for their economic well-being: employment, housing and improvements needed for the tourism industry, education, and health care. Therefore, to portray the election as a football match between China and India resulting in India’s defeat — as some western news agencies have done — is to betray ignorance of how this nation of 1,192 islands functions. Luckily, the people of Maldives know better.
Five men, shared future
The old era, when Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ruled as the President from 1978 to 2008, gave way to a multiparty democracy under a new constitution. Mohamed Nasheed, a charismatic but mercurial leader, became the first directly elected President. He did not complete his five-year term and ended up sharing it with Mohamed Waheed Hassan. Abdulla Yameen, the most pro-China president so far, served his full term (2013–18), followed by Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the candidate of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the architect of ‘India First’ policy, who served from 2018 till now. Following his defeat, he will hand over the presidency to the clear winner — Mohamed Muizzu, the opposition candidate backed by an alliance of the Progressive Party of Maldives and the People’s National Congress. The mayor of the capital city Male, Mr. Muizzu will be sworn in as the new President next month.
