Maldives ruling coalition deployed anti-India sentiment to win election, EU report says

The Maldives' current ruling coalition of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People's National Congress (PNC) had used anti-India sentiments to win the elections held last December, the European Union said in a report.

The European Union Election Observation Mission (EU- EOM) report on the Maldives presidential elections that took place on September 9 and 30 comes amid the diplomatic row between President Mohamed Muizzu's government and India, after some Maldivian politicians made disparaging comments about Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

The EU-EOM report, prepared following an 11-week-long observation of the electoral process on the island nation, said the coalition now in power had attempted to spread disinformation around anti-India themes throughout the election cycle.

"EU EOM observers noted instances of derogatory language, directed towards the president [former leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih], on the side of PPM-PNC. Their campaign included anti-Indian sentiments, based on fears of Indian influences and anxiety regarding a presence of Indian military personnel inside the country," read the report.

"This theme was subject to multiple online disinformation attempts," it added.

Fake letter from Indian minister was circulated

Notably, during the elections last year, a fake letter attributed to India's External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar was circulated on Maldivian social media, claiming that New Delhi had requested two 15-hectare plots in Maldives with full sovereignty. In return, India was willing to waive Maldivian debt, the fake letter had claimed.

However, the Indian government quickly issued a clarifying statement, dubbing the letter as fake.

"We have seen images of a fake letter being circulated on social media attributing them to EAM @DrSJaishankar and the Government of India. We unequivocally reject and condemn this malicious attempt to malign and disturb the India-Maldives relations."

The letter was one of the many examples of the disinformation campaign initiated by PPM-PNC against India.

The anti-India rhetoric worked big time and Mohamed Muizzu managed to emerge victorious.

Watch |Gravitas: Can India's political heat burn Maldives' govt? | Tourism body sends apology letter

Muizzu's anti-India, pro-China stance

The latest diplomatic row between India and Maldives is another example of the deep-seated anti-India sentiment that the ruling alliance harbours.

After Indian PM Narendra Modi visited Lakshadweep, some social media users projected the Indian archipelago as an alternative tourism destination for Indians in place of Maldives.

No mention or references to Maldives or any other island nation which is popular among tourists was made in PM Modi's posts regarding his visit to Lakshadweep.

But still, the archipelago's beautiful scenery appeared to offend the Maldivian politicians.

Soon, the innocuous conversation gave way to a massive controversy where Maldivian ministers started passing derogatory remarks against PM Modi and India for starting such a discourse.

While Maldives has fractured its relationship with India, President Muizzu has taken the position of former president Abdulla Yameen who was staunchly pro-China in his ideology.

President Muizzu broke the long tradition of Maldivian presidents visiting India as their first official tour after winning elections and instead ventured to Beijing where he has been waxing lyrical about President Xi Jinping.

The EU report mentions that during the election trail, the ruling coalition asked for votes in Yameen's name.

"The PPM also campaigned strongly on the image of former President Yameen, demanding his release from prison," it added.

Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2022 on corruption and money laundering charges linked to kickbacks from a private company.

Maldivesrelies heavily on Indian tourists to keep its industry buoyant.

At the end of December 2023, as many as 209,198 Indian tourists visited Maldives, making it the biggest demography to visit the island nation.

Hence, it becomes even more absurd that the Maldivian government would takean anti-India position.

(With inputs from agencies)