Male: In a significant setback for Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, the pro-India opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has clinched a resounding victory in the Male Mayoral election. Adam Azim, the MDP candidate, emerged victorious, securing the post previously held by Muizzu. The Maldives media has described Azim's win as a "landslide" victory.
With 41 boxes counted, Azim amassed a substantial lead with 5,303 votes, while his rival Aishath Azima Shakoor of Muizzu's People’s National Congress (PNC) received 3,301 votes, as reported by Maldives’ Sun Online news portal. Despite a low voter turnout, Azim's win is anticipated to rejuvenate the political fortunes of the MDP, which still holds a majority in the Parliament.
Muizzu, who returned from a five-day state visit to China, extended congratulations to Azim and expressed willingness to cooperate with the Male City Council and the newly elected Mayor. Azim, in turn, declared his victory as a triumph for all residents of Male and expressed gratitude to his supporters, MDP's leadership, and campaign teams.
The Male Mayoral election took place against the backdrop of derogatory comments posted by three deputy ministers of the Muizzu government against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading to a diplomatic row with India. During his high-profile visit to China, Muizzu sought to align Maldives more closely with Beijing. Following the social media postings that sparked concerns in India and calls for a tourist boycott, Muizzu suspended the three ministers. Indian tourists, ranking highest in numbers, had expressed their discontent, followed by Russian tourists, while Chinese tourists occupied the third position.
—Input from Agencies