Maldives President-Elect Muizzu Says Foreign Soldiers Must Leave

Foreign Military Forces cannot stay in the Maldives, President-Elect Mohamed Muizzu told a rally celebrating his victory.

Muizzu, who beat incumbent President Ibrahim Solih in a second-round runoff on Saturday, is backed by a coalition known to be close to China, and championed an “India Out” campaign a few years ago, against a small unit of Indian military.

“All the Countries which agree to our Pro-Maldives policy will be our close friends and allies,” Muizzu told supporters.

“We will send back foreign soldiers in the Maldives,” he added, without naming any country.

In the past his party has viewed India’s overwhelming influence as a potential threat to sovereignty and Muizzu accused the South Asian nation of aiming to establish a permanent military presence in the Indian Ocean archipelago.

REUTERS