'Will Send Back Military Forces': Maldives President-Elect Muizzu Who Won On 'India Out' Campaign

Maldives president-elect Mohamed Muizzi said that military forces will be sent back from the island nation in an apparent reference to India which has a small military presence in the atoll nation.

Maldives president-elect Mohamed Muizzu on Monday said that military forces will be sent back from the atoll nation without mentioning India’s name, the only foreign nation with a military deployments in the island nation. Muizzu, 45, with a pro-China stance registered his victory in the presidential polls riding on “India out” campaign. The coalition supporting Muizzu’s Progressive Party of Maldives pledged to remove a small Indian military presence including several surveillance aircraft and around 75 personnel. 

"We will be sending back military forces based in the Maldives according to law, and for sure we will do that accordingly," Muizzu said while addressing his first public rally in the capital Male on Monday night following his victory, as per an AFP report. 

"The people who brought... military forces don't want to send them back, but the people of the Maldives decided," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was one of the first among the world leaders to congratulate Muizzu on winning against outgoing President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih who pursued “India First” approach. 

New Delhi is "committed to strengthening the time-tested India-Maldives bilateral relationship", said PM Modi in a post on X. 

China congratulated Muizzu on Monday, saying it "respects the choice of the Maldivian people".

"China is willing to work with the Maldives to consolidate the traditional friendship, deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and push for continuous new progress," Beijing's foreign ministry said in a statement to AFP.

Muizzu entered politics with the backing of former Maldivian President Abdulla Yameen, who is also known for his pro-China stance. Yameen was disqualified from contesting the Presidential polls by the Supreme Court in August due to a conviction for corruption and money laundering.

Shortly after his victory Muizzu secured the release of Yameen, who was serving an 11-year jail sentence at the high-security Maafushi prison, and transferred him to house arrest in Male.