No elections in Maldives’ foreseeable future': Minister
Maldives state minister of foreign affairs Dunya Maumoon told the BBC elections cannot be held in the country "in the foreseeable future".
Dunya Maumoon said that the country's institutions of state were not strong enough for elections to be held.
The opposition Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) says that the country is now being run by a dictatorship.
President Waheed Hassan took office in February. He denies that he staged a mutiny.
Speaking to the BBC in London, Ms Maumoon said that a vote was impossible until a commission of inquiry set up to determine the circumstances of President Hassan's rise to power had submitted its report.
She added until the country's state institutions - the judiciary, the election commission and the human rights commission - were strengthened, it would be impossible for a vote to be held.
Ms Maumoon said a constitutional amendment was also necessary before any 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."
But MDP supporter and former Maldives High Commissioner to London Farah Faizal told the BBC the current Maldives government was illegal.
"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," she said.