President Mohamed Muiz's move to move further away from New Delhi has caused tensions.
Parliamentary elections are being held in the Maldives in a crucial vote for President Mohamed Muiz, who has alienated the country from long-time ally India since taking power last September.
Sunday's election will be closely watched by India and China, who are vying for influence in the island nation, known for its pristine beaches and luxury resorts and strategically located in the Indian Ocean along the world's east-west shipping routes. There is.
Tensions between India and China intensified after Muiz's election last September, with the new leader taking a pro-China stance and acting to remove Indian troops from one of the country's islets.
About 284,000 people were eligible to vote on Sunday, with preliminary results expected to be announced the same day.
Six political parties and independent groups are fielding 368 candidates for 93 seats in parliament. All major political parties, including Muiz's People's National Congress (PNC), are split, and it is expected that it will be difficult for any single party to win a majority.
Muiz won last year's presidential election polls with his “India Out” campaign, pledging to cut off Indian influence. He was widely seen as a potential replacement for former President Abdullah Yameen, who held power from 2013 to 2018 and whose 11-year prison sentence for bribery was overturned by a court last week.
President Muiz accused his immediate predecessor, Mohamed Ibrahim Solih, of giving India undue influence and violating national sovereignty. The current parliament, dominated by Solih's Maldives Democratic Party (MDP), is trying to block Muiz's efforts to reshape the islands' diplomacy.
At least 75 Indian military personnel are stationed in the Maldives, and their known operations include operating two aircraft donated by India to rescue people stranded at sea or facing disaster. was supporting. Muiz is now taking steps to expel the soldiers and hand over the operations to civilians.
Relations became further strained when Indian social media activists launched a campaign to boycott Maldives tourism in January.
The move comes after three Maldives deputy ministers made disparaging remarks about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had floated the idea of promoting tourism in Lakshadweep, a chain of Indian islands similar to the Maldives. It was a retaliation.
According to recent Maldivian government statistics, the number of Indian tourists has declined and the country has fallen from the top spot for foreign tourists to sixth place.
Muiz visited China earlier this year and negotiated an increase in Chinese tourists and inbound flights. The administration has also awarded high-profile infrastructure contracts to Chinese state-owned companies.
In 2013, the Maldives joined China's Belt and Road Initiative, which aims to build ports and highways to expand trade and China's influence across Asia, Africa and Europe.
The Maldives is made up of approximately 1,200 coral islands and atolls and has a population of approximately 520,000 people.
