A presidential runoff in the Maldives will determine whether India or China has greater influence in the country, but whoever wins will likely retain pragmatic relations with the other country. On Sept. 30, the Maldives will hold a run-off presidential election that could alter the island nation's strategic balance between China and India. Incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih will face off against opposition challenger Mohamed Muizzu, who surprisingly came out on top in the first round of the presidential election on Sept. 9 with 46% of the vote, beating out Solih's 39%. The primary differentiator between the two candidates is their foreign policy agendas. Since taking office in 2018, President Solih has strengthened the Maldives' historically close ties with India, and has pledged to maintain his pro-India approach if elected for another term. Muizzu, by contrast, has positioned himself as the pro-China candidate and has promised to scale back India's...
