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In a domestic setback for Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, the pro-India opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) secured a decisive victory in the capital Male’s Mayoral election on January 13, PTI reported.
MDP candidate, Adam Azim, has been elected as the new mayor of Male, succeeding Muizzu, who recently resigned from the position to participate in the presidential elections last year. Maldives media reported Azim’s win as a “landslide” and a “victory by a large margin.”
The MDP is led by pro-India former president Mohammad Solih, who was defeated by Muizzu in the presidential elections.
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Who is Adam Azim?
As per the local paper Adhadhu, Azim was the former CEO of the Maldives Transport and Contracting Company (MTCC) during the last government. He started his career as an internal auditor at Coopers & Lybrand and apart from running his own business, held several government positions, ANI reported.
Before becoming the CEO of MTCC, he served as the Managing Director of Maldives Water and Sewerage Company (MWSC) from December 2018 to January 2020. He was Managing Director of the State Trading Organization (STO) from November 2013 to February 2015, ANI added.
Huge Lead in Votes
With 41 boxes counted, Azim took a substantial lead with 5,303 votes. His rival Aishath Azima Shakoor of Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) secured 3,301 votes, as reported by Maldives’ Sun Online news portal.
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The election also witnessed a low turnout, according to reports.
The Mayoral election victory is anticipated to revive the political fortunes of the MDP, which still holds a majority in the Parliament.
The ex-Foreign Minister of Maldives, Abdulla Shahid, congratulated Azim and the MPD for their victory, adding that the capital has decisively rejected President Mohamed Muizzu and his policies within 58 days of his term.
In a post on X, Shahid said, “Congratulations to @adamazim and @MDPSecretariat for winning the Male Mayoral by-election! The capital city has clearly rejected President Muizzu and his policies within just 58 days in office!”
Diplomatic Row with India
The Mayoral polls took place amid derogatory comments posted by three deputy ministers of the Muizzu government against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, leading to a diplomatic row with India. During his high-profile visit to China, Muizzu sought to align Maldives closer to Beijing.
He returned to Male on January 13 after a five-day state visit to China.
Muizzu suspended the three ministers following their social media postings, causing concern in India and calls for a boycott by Indian tourists, who ranked highest in numbers, followed by Russia. Chinese tourists figured third.
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He has however also expressed a strong statement that Maldives being a small country is not a “license” for anybody to “bully” us.
Muizzu gave a strong response when asked about the comments like Maldives is situated in India’s backyard. The President said that we don’t belong to anyone’s backyard and Maldives is an independent, sovereign state.
He came to power in the Maldives on the plank of the “India-out” campaign and has made several moves to signal that they are going to align with China in the struggle for the dominance of the Indian Ocean Region.
(With inputs from Agencies)
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Published: 14 Jan 2024, 09:21 AM IST
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