What Happened Ibrahim Mohamed Solih pulled off a general election stunner in the Maldives, handily unseating incumbent President Yameen Abdul Gayoom in balloting held Sept. 23. Solih's victory, however, didn't just deny Yameen another five-year term, but it also has the potential to shift the power balance between India and China amid their intensifying rivalry in the Indian Ocean. In the end, Solih overcame alleged vote-rigging and other concerns over the election's transparency to win the contest, which attracted nearly 90 percent of the country's 262,000 eligible voters, by a reported 16 points. Why It Matters Solih's victory is good news for India, particularly as the president-elect has called for an improvement in his country's strained relations with New Delhi. As a strategically significant chain of 1,200 islands located near key Indian Ocean shipping routes, the Maldives has historically fallen within India's sphere of influence .