Maldives Announces Election in September, President Abdul Yameen Welcomes Move

New Delhi: Amid its domestic crisis, the Election Commission of Maldives has announced the first round of Presidential elections in early September, a move which has been welcomed by the current government under Abdul Yameen.

In a statement, the government said that it warmly welcomed the announcement of the poll panel to begin preparations for the presidential elections. “The government encouraged all relevant stakeholders to offer the Commission their full, unreserved support for the conduct of their work,” the statement read.

It further said that the “free, fair and credible elections were the foundation of our democracy and that it is essential for continuity for our nation’s growth, stability and prosperity.”

The government also invited all international stakeholders to observe the process and also “urged the international community to provide support and assistance in bringing back normalcy in the island nation and that they should also refrain from any actions that could hinder resolving the situation the country is facing.”

The statement comes just hours after the island nation hit back at India for raising concerns over the extension of Emergency. Maldives said that India was far from facts and ground reality.

In a statement issued by Maldivian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday it said that "the assertion by the Government of India that the extension of the State of Emergency by the People's Majlis was unconstitutional is a clear distortion of facts, which ignore the Constitution and Laws of the Maldives." A "deeply dismayed" India had, on Wednesday, reacted strongly over the extension of Emergency in Maldives saying the manner in which the 30-day extension was approved by the Majlis in contravention of the Maldivian Constitution is a "matter of concern".

Accepting President Abdulla Yameen's recommendation, the Maldivian Parliament (Majlis) on Tuesday extended the state of Emergency by another 30 days, hours after India had asserted that it was important that the island nation quickly returns to the path of democracy and the rule of law, expecting that there will be no extension.