Hours after a report in The Washington Post claimed that Indian intelligence explored a plan with the Maldives Opposition to oust President Mohamed Muizzu following his election last year, Mohamed Nasheed, the island nation’s former President, said he does not believe India will be willing to assist in a regime change and “never had any such conversation with me”. Citing a document titled ‘Democratic Renewal Initiative’, the Post claimed that the Maldivian Opposition proposed bribing 40 MPs, including those from Muizzu’s own party, to vote to impeach him, and also paying 10 senior army and police officers. It claimed the plotters failed to gather enough votes to impeach Muizzu, and India did not pursue or finance an attempt to oust him. Reached for comment, former President Nasheed told The Indian Express that India is the biggest democracy in the world and a society ruled by law. In a statement, Nasheed said: “I have had over 20 years of close association with all levels of Indian government and institutions. I find that India respects the other point of view even when you are disagreeing. It does not dictate its perceptions and beliefs to other countries, political parties or political leaders. In my engagements with India I have found that it is India’s view that strengthening Maldives democratic process, institutions and its economy is not only in the best interest of Maldives, but also India.” “Maldivian Democratic (MDP) Party is the first democratic political party in the Maldives and the movement that brought democracy to the Maldives. Therefore, it is understandable that MDP enjoys a healthy relationship with India and MDP leadership might find it easy to make any manner and number of requests from India, but that is not to say that India will be willing to fulfill all MDP requests,” he said. “I do not believe that India will be willing to assist the Maldives Opposition in regime change and they certainly have never had any such conversation with me,” he said. In a post on X, Nasheed said he was not aware of any plans to overthrow Muizzu’s administration, and accused some of always engaging in conspiracy theories. “India will not support such an action. They have always respected democracy in Maldives. India has never dictated ways on us,” he wrote. There was no response from the Maldives government – either the President’s office or the Maldives High Commission in New Delhi – to requests for comment on the Post report. The Indian government, too, did not comment on the report. But sources in New Delhi rejected the report, calling it a “figment of imagination”.
