In a surprising turn of events, Mohamed Muiz, the opposition candidate, emerged victorious in the Maldives presidential runoff held on Saturday, securing over 53% of the vote, as reported by local media. This election had taken on the character of a virtual referendum, determining whether India or China would exert greater influence over this Indian Ocean archipelago nation.

According to Mihaaru News, incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih garnered 46% of the vote, while Muiz clinched victory with a lead of more than 18,000 votes. Official results were expected to be announced on Sunday.

Following his win, Muiz expressed his commitment to shaping the country’s future and safeguarding the freedom of the Maldives. He called for unity, stating, “It’s time we put our differences aside and come together. We need to be a peaceful society.” Additionally, he requested that President Solih transfer former President Abdulla Yameen from prison to house arrest.

Muiz’s triumph was an unexpected one, considering he entered the race as an underdog and was named as a candidate closer to the nomination deadline, following the Supreme Court’s decision to bar Yameen from running due to his imprisonment on money laundering and corruption charges—charges that Yameen’s supporters claim are politically motivated.

“This result reflects the patriotism of our people and calls on all our neighbors and bilateral partners to fully respect our independence and sovereignty,” said Mohamed Shareef, a prominent official from Muiz’s party. He emphasized that it was also a mandate for Muiz to revive the economy and secure Yameen’s release.

Neither Muiz nor Solih managed to secure more than 50% of the vote in the initial round of voting held earlier in September.

During the campaign, Solih faced allegations from Muiz that he had permitted unchecked Indian presence in the Maldives. Muiz’s party, the People’s National Congress, is perceived as being strongly pro-China. Solih, however, maintained that the Indian military’s presence in the Maldives was solely for the construction of a dockyard under a government agreement and that it did not compromise the country’s sovereignty.

Muiz pledged that if elected president, he would remove Indian troops from the Maldives and work to rebalance the country’s trade relations, which he argued were heavily skewed in favor of India.

Ahmed Shaheed, a former foreign minister of the Maldives, suggested that the election results reflected public discontent with the government’s failure to meet economic and governance expectations rather than concerns about Indian influence. He stated, “I don’t think India was at all in the people’s minds.”

Muiz, an engineer by profession, previously served as the housing minister for seven years and was the mayor of Male, the capital, before being chosen as the presidential candidate.

In the lead-up to the election, Solih faced a setback when Mohamed Nasheed, a charismatic former president, broke away from the Maldivian Democratic Party and fielded his own candidate in the first round. Nasheed opted to remain neutral in the second round.

Abdulla Yameen, leader of the People’s National Congress, had aligned the Maldives with China’s Belt and Road initiative during his presidency from 2013 to 2018. This initiative aims to develop infrastructure projects, including railroads, ports, and highways, to expand trade and China’s influence across Asia, Africa, and Europe.

Despite the campaign rhetoric, it is unlikely that Muiz will drastically alter the foreign policy stance of the Maldives. Instead, opposition to Chinese projects may diminish, potentially rebalancing the power dynamics in the region.

The Maldives, comprising 1,200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean strategically located along major shipping routes between the East and the West, has seen significant political stability and economic growth in recent years. However, differing views on foreign influence continue to shape the nation’s political landscape.

With over 282,000 eligible voters and a turnout of 78% an hour before polling stations closed, this election marks a pivotal moment in the Maldives’ political history.

The bilateral meeting between Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, and French President Emmanuel Macron concluded this morning (11 September), with a focus on diversifying their existing relationship. The meeting took place at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) following a one-on-one discussion between the two leaders.

President Macron was warmly received by Prime Minister Hasina at the PMO’s tiger gate upon his arrival at 10:20 am, with a bouquet of flowers. Before the bilateral meeting, both leaders participated in a photo session. Several bilateral agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) are expected to be signed in the presence of the two leaders, who will also hold a joint press briefing.

Before departing from the PMO, Macron will sign the visitor’s book. Earlier in the day, he paid tribute to the Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, by laying a wreath at Bangabandhu’s portrait and visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Dhanmondi-32.

President Macron’s visit to Bangladesh, at the invitation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, aims to solidify ongoing projects and further enhance economic relations between the two nations. This marks Macron’s first visit to Bangladesh, with the last visit by a French president occurring in 1990 when President Mitterrand visited.

Since the early 1990s, the bilateral trade relationship between Bangladesh and France has grown significantly, with total trade rising from €210 million to €4.9 billion today, making France the 5th largest country for Bangladesh’s exports. French companies are now active in various sectors such as engineering, energy, aerospace, and water resources. Both Bangladesh and France hope that President Macron’s visit will elevate their friendly relations to new heights.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited France in November 2021 at the invitation of President Macron. Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has indicated that discussions during Macron’s visit will include strategies to boost trade and investment, addressing climate change, and regulating migration. Climate change and the Rohingya crisis will also be key topics of discussion during their meeting.

Macron’s visit to Bangladesh followed his participation in the G-20 Summit in New Delhi, India.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi concluded the G20 summit on Sunday (10 September), where divisions over the Ukraine conflict and climate change took center stage, granting him a moment in the diplomatic spotlight.

The G20 leaders have been deeply divided over the Ukraine war since Russia’s invasion last year, with Russian President Vladimir Putin notably absent from the summit to avoid political scrutiny. Finding common ground has been a persistent challenge, particularly regarding the ongoing conflict.

In a bid to mitigate a diplomatic embarrassment, India, as the host, pushed for a joint statement on Saturday that condemned the use of force for territorial gain but refrained from direct criticism of Russia. The move was met with mixed reactions, with Kyiv stating that the G20 had “nothing to be proud of,” while Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, standing in for Putin, claimed a diplomatic victory by stating that the text didn’t mention Russia.

On Sunday, Modi officially closed the summit by passing a ceremonial gavel to Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who will assume the bloc’s presidency in December. Lula emphasized the importance of not letting geopolitical issues overshadow the G20’s discussions and stressed the need for peace and cooperation.

Despite the urgent climate crisis, G20 leaders failed to reach an agreement on phasing out fossil fuels, instead endorsing a target to triple global renewable energy capacity by 2030 and committing to a “phasedown” of coal in line with national circumstances.

Modi, who sees the summit as India’s diplomatic maturation and seeks a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, celebrated the African Union’s accession to the G20, transforming it into a more inclusive “people’s G20.” He also proposed another G20 leaders’ meeting in November via video link, opening the door for Putin and China’s Xi Jinping to participate.

Lula stated that Putin would be welcome to attend next year’s event in Rio de Janeiro, even though Brazil is a signatory to the International Criminal Court (ICC), which has issued a warrant for Putin’s arrest on war crimes charges.

On the summit’s sidelines, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held face-to-face talks with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, marking a significant step in mending a decade-long rift between their countries.

World leaders paid their respects to Mahatma Gandhi, India’s revered independence hero, by visiting the site of his cremation. Many leaders, including Modi, walked barefoot in the rain-dampened area, while others wore slippers as a mark of respect. They observed a moment of silence and laid wreaths at the marble plinth that honors Gandhi’s memory.