MALE 2018 June 2: – The European Union and some Western nations on Friday urged the Maldives to hold a credible and transparent presidential poll, after police executing a court order disrupted an opposition effort to pick a candidate for the September election.
The Maldives foreign ministry, however, said in a statement that actions taken by the government to stop illegal activities and to maintain law and order should not be seen as aimed at curtailing fundamental freedoms.
The Maldives, home to 400,000 people and best known as a tropical paradise for tourists, has experienced political unrest since Mohamed Nasheed, its first democratically-elected leader, was forced to quit amid a mutiny by police in 2012.
Nasheed, the sole candidate in this week’s primary election held by his Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), was convicted of terrorism charges in 2015 and sentenced to 13 years in prison after a controversial and widely criticised trial.
Although Nasheed campaigned from Sri Lanka to win 43,922 of the 44,011 votes cast in Wednesday’s election, the Elections Commission declined to accept the results and vowed to take action against the MDP.
In a joint statement, the ambassadors of the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Romania, the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States said they had followed the deterioration of the situation with increasing concern.
“Legitimate opposition is a vital part of any healthy democracy, and it is critical that authorities respect fundamental freedoms, including freedom of assembly and speech,” the European Union said.
“We urge authorities to demonstrate genuine commitment to a credible, transparent, and inclusive election process.”
In a statement, Nasheed said it was inspiring to see Maldivians rising up with the belief that “Democracy must prevail, despite the atmosphere of military rule and repression” imposed by President Abdulla Yameen.
