This Week in Politics
Maldives Votes for a New President (He’s Pro China)
The Maldives has voted for change: incumbent president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih who held a pro-india stance has been ousted by the electorate. Mr. Muizzu, the winner of the election, repeatedly attacked his opponent for giving India too much influence over the country and has been seen as the pro China alternative. The election overall has been viewed as a popularity contest between India and China, whether to continue the move towards India or steer back to the China policies of the past. Either way we have the result, the Maldives is choosing to move away from India and in doing so closer to the Chinese, for at least for the next five years.
Kevin McCarthy Ousted
House speaker Kevin McCarthy has been ousted by his fellow congressmen, with eight of his own Republican colleagues voting against him enough to unseat him. The vote was 216 against the speaker 210 for, or in other words a razor thin majority to oust Mr. McCarthy with the Republican defectors making all the difference. This is the first time in history a speaker of the House has been ousted this way, with one similar vote in the early twentieth century that failed to garner a majority. This shows a division within the Republican party and that the path to a new speaker of the House will take time.
India and Canadian Relations Reach Boiling Point
Indo-Canadian relations reached a boiling point this week when India chose to expel more then half of Canadian diplomats within the country. This is because of Justin Trudeau’s allegations that the Indian state killed a sikh nationalist within Canada’s borders (Mr. Modi, president of India has denied any Indian involvement in the murder) which he levied at the House of Commons. Since the allegations the two countries relations have deteriorated with diplomats being expelled, however, this should be seen as an escalation on India’s part.
Pro-Russian SMER Party Wins Election in Slovakia
Worries run high in Bruxelles as pro-Russia SMER wins general election in Slovakia, voting out the pro-Ukraine governing parties. This makes Slovakia one of the few Russian empathy holdouts in Europe and goes staunchly against the European Union’s commitment to Ukraines freedom. Fret about the aid from Slovakia and over all support from the country have been placed under question. The relations between the European Union and Slovakia are going to become more tenuous over this diverging view.
