Voting is taking place today in the presidential elections in the Maldives, a small country with half a million inhabitants, which has turned into an informal referendum on which regional power - India or China - will have the greatest influence on that archipelago in the southeast of the Indian Ocean.
Eight candidates are vying for the seat, with incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is seen as pro-India and running for a second term, facing his main rival Mohamed Muiza, who criticizes him for allowing India an unchecked presence in the Malldivas.
Muiz has promised that if he becomes president, he will drive Indian troops out of the Maldives and balance trade relations that are now heavily in India's favor.
The People's National Congress, Muiz's party, is considered strongly pro-Chinese. Its leader, Abdullah Jamin, when he was president from 2013-2018, introduced the Maldives to China's "One Belt, One Road". The initiative calls for the construction of ports, railways and roads to expand trade - and China's influence - across Asia, Africa and Europe.
Both India and China are vying for influence in the tiny nation of 1.200 coral islands in the Indian Ocean, along the main sea route between East and West.
There is also the possibility that the predominantly Sunni Muslim country could become more conservative as both sides are supported by religious hardliners. They do not support violence, but they want more control over women, they are against music and art, as well as religious freedom.
More than 282.000 people are eligible to vote in today's election. A candidate would have to get 50 percent plus one vote to win. Otherwise, the top two finalists would meet in a runoff later this month.
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