Why India has little to cheer about with a change of guard in Maldives

New Delhi is mistaken if it thinks Solih's regime will move away from China when it assumes office. Beijing is remarkably flexible in dealing with any govt in Asia or Africa

As the news of the surprise result of the Maldives Presidential election rolled in from the Indian Ocean on Monday morning, there was a sense of understandable glee in the Indian foreign office. "We heartily congratulate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on his victory and hope that the Election Commission will officially confirm the result at the earliest,” the external affairs ministry tweeted early today. Joint opposition candidate Solih shocked President Abdulla Yameen, who was perceived as pro-China, by a huge margin. Yameen has accepted defeat. The result is particularly surprising, as over the past few years, the outgoing President was accused