President calls on governments and organizations to refrain commenting on Supreme Court election case

President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik has called on foreign governments, the UN, and the Commonwealth to show responsibility and to refrain from issuing statements, commenting on, and speculating about, the on-going Supreme Court case regarding the presidential election.

In a statement released by the President’s Office today, the President stated that the Maldives is capable of managing the dispute over the conduct of the first round of presidential elections and that although the Maldives is a nascent democracy, the country’s statutory institutions, including the judiciary, have shown that they are capable of making sound and impartial decisions on some of the most complex issues of national importance.

He noted that the people of the Maldives have also shown that they do accept the legitimacy of such decisions.

The President’s statement follows calls from international parties, including The Commonwealth and the United Nations, to hold the second round of the presidential election without undue delay.

The statement also reminded the international community that it is important that the case currently being deliberated at the Supreme Court is taken in its proper context, that it is a case where one of the candidates in the elections have shown concerns over the electoral process, and taken the matter to the Supreme Court in accordance with the relevant laws of the Maldives.

The President commended the work by international observers in observing the elections, but said that they do not decide on the cases filed by one or more candidates in an election.