Elections cannot be held in the near future: Dhunya

State Minister for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Dhunya Maumoon has said in an interview with BBC that elections cannot be held in the country in the ‘foreseeable future’, as the country’s state institutions are not strong enough to hold an election.

“It would be impossible for a vote to be held before the country’s state institutions – the judiciary, the election commission and the human rights commission - are strengthened,” Dhunya told BBC.

She added that a vote would also be impossible until the National Inquiry Commission, set up to determine the circumstances of President Dr Mohamed Waheed’s rise to power, had submitted its report.

She said that President Dr Mohamed Waheed came to power constitutionally following the voluntary resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed.

"We are open to discussions about when elections should take place, but the opposition is not interested in talking to us about the future of the country,” Dhunya told BBC.

Dhunya said that the constitution also needs amendment before an election could be held:

"The amendment requires the support of all Maldivian political parties - but so far the MDP had refused to agree to it."

MDP supporter and former Maldives High Commissioner to London Farahanaz Faisal had told the BBC that the current Maldives government is unconstitutional:

"If they wanted to get rid of the government they should have used constitutional and lawful means to do so rather than use the army and police to stage a coup," Farahanaz had told BBC.