In January 2024, relations between India and Maldives, traditionally close neighbors with strong historical and cultural ties, became strained due to derogatory remarks by Maldivian cabinet ministers and concerns over racism, targeted towards Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well as India. [1]
Reactions in India called for a boycott of vacations to the Maldives. The row from Maldives side led to the death of a young Maldivian teenager who had to be taken to India via an air ambulance, after the request at the last minute was denied by Maldivian authorities due to the tensions between the two countries. [2] [3]
The 2023 Maldivian presidential election saw Mohamed Muizzu come into power. A key campaign topic throughout the election was the Maldives' position with respect to China and India. The incumbent Ibrahim Mohamed Solih campaigned on an "India-first" policy, aiming to strengthen ties with the Maldives' geographical and cultural neighbour. On the opposite side, Muizzu, adopting the slogan "India out", called for Indian military personnel stationed on the archipelago to leave, [4] [5] [6] while campaigning for closer relations with China. [7] This kept in line with the policies of former president Abdulla Yameen, founder of the People's National Congress, under whom the Maldives joined China's Belt and Road Initiative. [8]
Muizzu was elected president in the second round, winning 54.04% against the incumbent Solih's 46.04%. Muizzu was sworn in as the new president on 17 November 2023. [9] [10] President Xi Jinping of China welcomed this election, [11] [12] while Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi congratulated Muizzu and conveyed his "good wishes for the strengthening of democracy, peace and prosperity in the country." [13]
In January, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Lakshwadeep, a union territory of India in the Indian Ocean, and posted his pictures of an island in Lakshwadeep on his Instagram account, in the Indian Government's bid to boost tourism and carry out development there. [14] This prompted many Indians to search and take an interest on the islands. [15] Many Indian users on social media began comparing Maldives, an attractive tourist destination for many Indians with their own domestic islands in Lakshwadeep. [16] [17] In response, Zahid Rameez, a member of the Progressive Party of Maldives, accused the Indian Government of "copying a small economy like Sri Lanka", triggering an online boycott of Maldivian tourism. [18] He sparked further controversy by tweeting that India would be "delusional" to offer decent service and clean rooms as compared to Maldives. [19]
On 7 January, three sitting Maldivian deputy ministers - Malsha Shareef, Mariyam Shiuna, and Abdulla Mahzoom Majid, made derogatory and racist remarks about PM Modi and Indians on social media, coinciding with his visit. [20] [21] The remarks triggered strong reactions in India, with the Indian High Commission in Maldives raising the issue strongly with the Maldivian government. [22]
The Maldivian government, under President Mohamed Muizzu, swiftly distanced itself from the comments, suspending the three ministers and emphasizing that their opinions did not reflect the official stance. [23] On 7 January, the Maldivian government issued a statement condemning the derogatory remarks. [24] The statement clarified that these opinions are personal and do not reflect the official stance of the Maldivian government. The statement reaffirmed the government's commitment to freedom of expression exercised in a democratic and responsible manner, emphasizing it should not hinder close relations with India. [25] Additionally, the statement indicated that relevant authorities may take action against individuals making such remarks. [26]
The remarks by the Maldivian ministers led to a massive outrage in India, with many people who had planned vacations in the island country cancelling them. The hashtag "#BoycottMaldives" was trending on Social Media. [27]
Opposition leader and politician Sharad Pawar said "He is the Prime Minister of our country and if anyone from any other country holding any position makes such comments on our PM, we won't accept it. We must respect the PM's post. We won't accept anything against the Prime Minister from outside the country" [28]
Former President Mohamed Nasheed stated, "The people of the Maldives are sorry, we are sorry that this has happened". He also said that the Maldives wants Indian people to visit during their holidays, and that this will not affect the country's hospitality. He asked the government to stop the row against India. [29]
On 7 January, Muizzu arrived in China on an invitation extended by President Xi Jinping. [30] as a China-pro candidate Muizzu's presidential campaign focused on reducing Indian influence in Maldivian affairs. Observers have described him as pro-China. [31] [32] [33] On 13 January, in the interview after coming back from China, Muizzu said,
We, our country maybe small. But that doesn't give you the license to bully us! [34] [35]
In pre-office interviews, Muizzu stated that all Indian troops should leave the Maldives. As of 2021, the Maldivian Defence Ministry reported around 75 Indian personnel were stationed in the country, operating aircraft provided by India.
Following a state visit to China, Muizzu requested India to withdraw its troops by 15 March, linking the conflict to the sovereignty of the Maldives. He perceives India's failure to withdraw its troops as a lack of respect for Maldives' democracy. After the second India-Maldives high-level core group meeting, Male announced that India will replace its military personnel involved in the operation of its base in the Maldives. India only stated that both sides agreed on a set of "Mutually Workable Solutions." [36]
The politics of the Maldives take place in the framework of a presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is the Head of Government. Executive power is exercised by the government. The President heads the executive branch and appoints the Cabinet; like many presidential democracies, each member of the cabinet need to be approved by the Parliament. The President, along with their pick for vice president, is directly elected by the denizens to a five-year term by a secret ballot. Once in office, they could be re-elected to a second 5-year term, which is the limit allowed by the Constitution. The current President of the Maldives is Mohamed Muizzu, when his predecessor, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih lost the 2023 Maldivian presidential election.
The Maldives has remained an independent nation throughout its recorded history, save for a brief spell of Portuguese occupation in the mid-16th century. From 1887 to 1965, the country was a British protectorate while retaining full internal sovereignty. At its independence in 1965, the Maldives joined the United Nations on 20 September.
India and Maldives are neighbours sharing a maritime border. Relations have been friendly and close in strategic, economic and military cooperation. India continues to contribute to maintaining security as well as providing financial aid on the island nation.
Laila Ali Abdulla is a Maldivian activist who served as the First Lady of the Maldives from 11 November 2008 until 7 February 2012. She is the wife of the fourth president of the second Republic of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed and mother of two girls Meera Laila Nasheed & Zaaya Laila Nasheed.
The Progressive Party of Maldives, also known by its abbreviationPPM, is an Islamist political party in the Maldives with a total membership of 36,223 as of 5 March 2024. The stated goal of the party is driving Maldives towards an independent and democratic, safe and secure, high income, high human capital, developed nation state with a diversified and robust economy whilst preserving its Islamic heritage.
Diplomatic relations between the People's Republic of China and the Maldives were established in 1972. China has an embassy in Malé which opened in November 2011, and the Maldives has an embassy in Beijing which opened in 2009. Approximately 70 percent of the Maldives' total debt is attributed to Chinese projects, with an annual payment of $92 million to China, constituting around 10 percent of the country's entire budget. China has become pervasive in the Maldives, exerting influence over infrastructure, trade, and energy sectors, raising concerns of a new form of Chinese entrapment.
The foreign policy of the Modi government is associated with the policy initiatives made towards other states by the current government of India after Narendra Modi assumed the office of prime minister on May 26, 2014.
Neighbourhood First Policy of India is a core component of India's foreign policy. It focuses on peaceful relations and collaborative synergetic co-development with its South Asian neighbours of the Indian subcontinent encompassing a diverse range of topics, such as economics, technology, research, education, connectivity, space program, defence security, environment and climate challenge. This policy creates new avenues as well as leverages to the existing regional cooperation initiatives such as SAARC, SASEC, BBIN, and BIMSTEC. It compliments India's Look East policy focused on Southeast Asia and Look West Policy focused on Middle East.
Presidential elections were held in the Maldives on Sunday, 23 September 2018. Incumbent president Abdulla Yameen of the Progressive Party of Maldives was seeking re-election for a second five-year term. His only challenger was Ibrahim Mohamed Solih of the Maldivian Democratic Party, who was nominated as the joint candidate of a coalition of opposition parties.
Presidential elections were held in the Maldives on Saturday, 9 September 2023, with a second round held on 30 September. Incumbent president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was seeking re-election, after defeating Speaker of the People's Majlis Mohamed Nasheed in the Maldivian Democratic Party primaries. People's National Congress candidate and Malé mayor Mohamed Muizzu won the election with 54% of the votes, defeating Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and becoming President-elect of the Maldives. It was the fourth consecutive election in which a Maldivian president failed to win reelection, the last to do so having been Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ran unopposed, in 2003.
The following lists events that happened during 2023 in the Maldives.
Dr Mohamed Muizzu is a Maldivian politician who is the 8th and current president of the Maldives since 2023. He previously served as Housing Minister and was the Mayor of Malé from 2021 until his resignation in 2023.
Sajidha Mohamed also known as Saaji, is a Maldivian civil servant and the current first lady of the Maldives since 2023 as the wife of President Mohamed Muizzu.
The following lists events that happened during 2024 in the Maldives.
The family of Mohamed Muizzu, the 9th and current president of the Maldives is a Maldivian descended family. they are active in law, education, activism and politics. the immediate family of Mohamed Muizzu is the current first family of the Maldives since his inauguration on 17 November 2023.
Meekail Ahmed Naseem is a Maldivian politician. He is a member of the People's Majlis from Southern Galolhu Constituency. He is a member of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
Mohamed Muizzu's tenure as the 9th President of the Maldives began with his inauguration on 17 November 2023. Muizzu, a People's National Congress politician who previously served as Housing Minister for two terms under president Mohamed Waheed Hassan and Abdulla Yameen. Muizzu was the Mayor of Malé from 2021 until his resignation in 2023.
Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is a book containing Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's remarks during his 2023 presidential campaign.