The Floating Wreath

By S.G. Jilanee | February 2020

Maladweep (wreath of islands) floating in the Indian Ocean, better known as Maldives, held its presidential elections in 2018. However, controversy was sparked by the Speaker of the Parliament, Mohamed Nasheed’s public statement recently, acknowledging foreign interference in the elections. His statement was received with alarm all over the country, because it is a first to happen in Maldivian politics. Nasheed’s remarks, on December, 14, 2019, are proof the elections have not been free and fair, and did not reflect the will of the Maldivian people. In fact, Nasheed, who is also the leader of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), hinted at possible efforts by the opposition to collude with foreign governments to jeopardize the sovereignty of the country and this is deeply agitating the minds of the political leaders who called for immediate investigation.

Nasheed said that at the time “no one thought that we would win the 2018 elections” and that the opposition had “no chance.” He also explicitly made it clear that the then opposition “made unreasonable demands” from the government of India to “create a small window” prior to the elections, and that “Indian officials and Indian diplomats were at it.” He praised the government of India, saying that “Indian diplomats were very clever” and that “they did a whole sort of other things which brought us the elections.”

However, in an attempt at damage control, Nasheed later refuted reports that he attributed the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s electoral win in the 2018 presidential election to Indian influence.

Nasheed released a tweet clarifying his statements. In the tweet, he said his remarks were being misinterpreted and India had never meddled in the Maldivian elections. Nasheed was referring to India’s influence in a positive sense, such as encouragement to conduct a free and fair presidential election, and that the pressure it presented helped ensure a free and fair vote. But, that did not take away the fact of influence, even though benign.

The Maldives faced international pressure ahead of the 2018 presidential election when the then president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom jailed all opposition leaders and obstructed other opposition leaders from returning to Maldives after they had left the country. At the time, several countries had expressed their concern whether a free and fair election could be conducted in the Maldives.

After the opposition coalition won the election, President Yameen first accepted the results of the election, and stated that he respected the peoples’ decision. However, he later alleged electoral fraud, and refused to accept the outcome of the election. He raised several serious allegations against the members of the Elections Commission. In fact, President Yameen and senior members of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) still allege that the 2018 election was ‘stolen’ from them.

China and India have long been vying for influence in the island nation with China having taken the lead in the last four years. However, the ousting of a pro-China autocratic President and the election of a moderate and democratic candidate has given India a fair advantage to improve its ties with the Maldives.

India, which established its diplomatic mission in the Maldives four decades ago, had a harmonious relationship with the country until the politically motivated expulsion of former President Mohamed Nasheed in 2012. With Yameen’s coming to power in 2013, their relationship deteriorated considerably, since China emerged as an extensive presence in the Maldivian infrastructure, trade and energy sectors since 2012.

Yameen has been widely accused of undermining the country’s democratic process by jailing critics, political rivals and opposition lawmakers. In February 2019, he imposed a state of emergency in the country, defying a Supreme Court ruling, which nullified criminal proceedings against the opposition leader Mohammed Nasheed and ordered the release of a group of opposition lawmakers from jail. India publicly condemned this act and urged the government to restore the credibility of the electoral and political process.

It would be better if Maldivian political leaders avoided all foreign influence in their domestic affairs.

The unexpected ousting of Yameen is a potential diplomatic win for India. Within hours of the election results, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the new president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. And Solih publicly announced that India is Maldives’ ‘closest ally’. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs also issued a statement, saying, “This election marks not only the triumph of democratic forces in the Maldives, but also reflects the firm commitment to the values of democracy and the rule of law.” At the same time, former President Nasheed, an ally of the opposition, who will act as an essential guiding figure for the new government, has reportedly called for an audit of all the infrastructure projects contracted by China, possibly to renegotiate deals.

After the Speaker of the Parliament acknowledged India’s influence in the last presidential elections in the Maldives, it was evident that this was a settled issue and influence was exercised. Whether it was benign, as Nasheed says, or otherwise, is a moot point.

Even though foreign influence was not of a magnitude as to vitiate the elections, it would be better if Maldivian political leaders avoided all foreign influence in their domestic affairs.

The Floating Wreath

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Update