Commonwealth offers support to Maldives amid turmoil

The Commonwealth today offered its full support to the Maldives to conclude the "stop-start" presidential elections and restore political stability.
"Maldives is currently in the middle of a critical period. The stop-start nature of the electoral process over the last two months has been very hard for everyone. Voters deserve more predictability in their electoral timetable," said Donald McKinnon, the Commonwealth Secretary-General's Special Envoy to the Maldives.
Maldives' Supreme Court suspended a run-off for the controversy-ridden presidential re-vote on Sunday and ordered authorities to hold it on November 16, prolonging a political turmoil.
The presidential run-off was due to take place on November 10 but the Supreme Court delayed it till next Saturday in a pre-dawn ruling.

In a crucial re-vote on November 9, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chief Mohammed Nasheed emerged a winner but failed to clinch 50 per cent of the votes to avoid a run-off.
The 46-year-old former president bagged 46.4 per cent of the votes, a marginal increase from his previous tally of 45.45 per cent votes in the September 7 polls that were annulled by the Supreme Court.

"It is the people of Maldives, rather than the international community, who are important in developing a way forward. However, I know that international partners genuinely want to help Maldivian people get through the next round of the election, clearly and successfully, so that the country can benefit from the end of what has been a difficult two-year period," McKinnon said.

"I urge political leaders and stakeholders to make this happen, by enabling a credible election to take place this Saturday, 16 November, and an elected president to be sworn in shortly thereafter. I wish everyone well for a successful election day on 16 November," he said.
The political scene in Maldives has been in a state of flux since February 2012 when Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected President, was forced to resign under duress. He was succeeded by Vice-President Mohammed Waheed.