BEIJING: China on Monday congratulated Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) which has secured an absolute majority in Sunday’s Parliament polls and expressed its willingness to deepen the “comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership” between the two countries.

Muizzu-led PNC won 68 out of 93 seats in Sunday’s polls and its coalition partners Maldives National Party (MNP) and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) won one and two seats, respectively, which is more than two-thirds of the Parliament, landing the party an easy supermajority with the power to amend the Constitution.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), led by former president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is seen as a pro-India leader, won only 15 seats this time.

Reader correspondent