Pro-Beijing frontrunner leads Maldives presidential polls as India, China influence takes centre stage

[Collection]The opposition candidate in Maldives appeared to be headed for a win in the presidential runoff on Saturday, securing more than 53% of the vote after almost all the ballots were counted.Interestingly, the election was a virtual referendum on which regional power — India or China — will have the biggest influence in the Indian Ocean archipelago nation.