Asia | Pacific pivot

The Maldives is cosying up to China

A landslide election confirms the trend

Mohamed Muizzu , the president of the Maldives, addresses his supporters at a victory rally.
Photograph: Reuters
|Delhi

THE MALDIVES tends to evoke images of cocktails enjoyed on pristine white beaches framed by gently swaying palm trees. Thoughts of geopolitics rarely feature. Yet they were to the fore this week as the People’s National Congress, the party of President Mohamed Muizzu, won a landslide victory in parliamentary elections, claiming over two-thirds of seats.

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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Pacific pivot”

From the April 27th 2024 edition

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