Maldives delays presidential runoff
At party’s request, 2 top vote-getters get 6 days to campaign
MALE, Maldives — The first democratically elected president of the Maldives and the brother of the country’s former autocratic ruler have qualified for a runoff, according to results in the island nation’s presidential election. But the Supreme Court has postponed today’s runoff by six days, setting the stage for a constitutional crisis in the tourist paradise nation that has been buffeted by political turmoil for the past five years.
Mohamed Nasheed, who resigned as president of the Indian Ocean archipelago last year, won nearly 47 percent of the popular vote in Saturday’s election, while Yaamin Abdul Gayoom, the brother of 30-year autocratic ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, trailed with 30 percent. A third candidate, businessman Qasim Ibrahim, had 23 percent.
A runoff between the top two candidates was required as neither received at least 50 percent of the vote.
It was supposed to be held today, but hours earlier the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a petition filed by a member of Ibrahim’s Jumhoory Party who asked for a postponement, arguing there was little time to campaign or forge alliances. The court set the runoff election for Saturday as it was originally scheduled before it was moved up at President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s behest to avoid a constitutional crisis.
Hassan’s term ends Monday, and the constitution requires an elected president be in office by that date. The Supreme Court on Saturday reiterated its previous ruling that Hassan will stay in office until a runoff election is held if no clear winner emerged from the first round, ignoring the possibility of a political logjam.
Two attempts at holding the election since September failed with questions over the accuracy of the voters list prepared by the Elections Commission. The chaos left voters isolated and divided, and their country’s new democracy under threat.
Voter turnout appeared to be less than a previous vote Sept. 7, the result of which was annulled by the Supreme Court. Observers had regarded the September election as largely free and fair, but the Supreme Court said it found the voters register included fake names and those of dead people. Police stopped a second attempt to hold the election last month because all the candidates had not endorsed the voters list as mandated by the Supreme Court.
Some 240,000 people were eligible to vote in the predominantly Muslim nation. The next president faces huge challenges in building public confidence in government institutions and dealing with pressing issues including high unemployment, increasing drug addiction among young people and improving transportation among the far-off islands.
The Maldives, which is known for its luxurious resorts, has faced much upheaval in the five years it has been a multiparty democracy. Society and even families have been divided along party lines, and institutions like the judiciary, public service, armed forces and police have worked in different directions and been accused of political bias.
Nasheed’s election in 2008 ended 30 years of autocratic rule. The past two years have been marked by waves of turmoil, as important factions in the government remain loyal to the forces that preceded him.
Nasheed resigned last year in what he described as a coup. In the first presidential election in September, Nasheed received by far the largest share of votes, 45 percent, but those results were annulled by the Supreme Court after one of the losing candidates said that there had been electoral violations. Hassan was also a candidate, but in that election his share of the vote was only in the single digits.
Various countries — among them, Britain, India and the United States — issued strong statements before the latest election, saying that they expected a transparent and free process. Navi Pillay, the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, said the country’s Supreme Court was “interfering excessively, and in doing so is subverting the right of Maldivians to freely elect their representatives.”