Maldives votes in the shadow of India-China rivalry

Officials prepare to count votes at a polling station during the second round of Maldives' presidential election in Male on September 30, 2023. [AFP]

Voting got under way in the Maldives Sunday in a parliamentary election likely to test President Mohamed Muizzu's tilt towards China and away from India, the luxury tourism hotspot's traditional benefactor.

Among the first to vote was Muizzu, 45, who cast his ballot at the Tajuddin school in the capital Male.