Maldives' Ruling Party Sweeps Crucial Parliamentary Elections

The Maldives' ruling People's National Congress (PNC) party won a supermajority in parliament, preliminary results after Sunday's crucial parliamentary elections showed, further strengthening pro-China President Mohamed Muizzu.

The PNC won 68 seats in the People's Majlis, the South Asian archipelago nation's 93-member parliament, according to the results from the election commission cited by local English daily The Sun.

Over 200,000 Maldivians voted in the parliamentary elections, in which 326 candidates vied for 93 seats.

Ruling party candidates ran for 90 seats, while the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) ran for 89 but suffered a major blow after winning just 10 of those.

The Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), which is allied with PNC, won two seats, while the Maldives National Party (MNP), another of the ruling party's allies, won one.

The Jumhoory Party (JP) won a single seat and 11 independent candidates also won seats.

The Maldives' strategic importance in the Indian Ocean is on the rise for regional heavyweights India and China, which are vying for influence in the country. -