Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidate and former President Mohamed Nasheed has called on the international community not to recognise President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan should he stay in power beyond the end of the current presidential term at midnight tonight.
The Supreme Court in a ruling yesterday said Waheed’s presidency continues until a president elect is determined, invalidating a People’s Majlis resolution authorizing the speaker to assume the presidency in the absence of a president-elect.
Speaking to the press today, Nasheed said, “In my view, the international community is partly responsible for the messy situation here in the Maldives. We had a perfect well-oiled government in 2012. They came and they recognised my Vice President as the head of state. They have an obligation not to recognise him after the end of that period.”
Nasheed has called on Waheed to resign, allow Majlis Speaker Abdulla Shahid to assume the presidency and conduct the second round of presidential elections on November 16.
“We would hope that Dr Waheed will resign tonight and we are seeking for an election held with Shahid, the speaker of parliament, as head of state,” he said.
Waheed was Nasheed’s second in command, and came to the presidency on February 7, 2012, after elements of the police and military mutinied against Nasheed. The first democratically elected president publicly resigned, later alleging that he was ousted in a coup d’état.
Nasheed emerged as the frontrunner in yesterday’s presidential polls with 46.93 percent of the vote. He is set to compete against Progressive Party of the Maldives’s (PPM) Abdulla Yameen who won 29.73 percent.
A second round of elections was scheduled for today in order to ensure a president elect is determined by the end of the presidential term, but the Supreme Court in the early hours of the morning rescheduled the vote to November 16, reiterating the continuity of Waheed’s administration.
Beyond November 11
Speaking to the press on multiple occasions, Waheed has previously said he does not wish to stay on as president “even a day beyond November 11.” The President’s Office has not responded to the Supreme Court’s ruling on continuity of Waheed’s administration.
Nasheed described the Supreme Court as “vested interests”, and called on the international community “not to entertain” the apex court.
The Supreme Court annulled the first round of presidential polls held on September 7 despite unanimous praise of electoral conduct, and delineated 16 guidelines on electoral processes, limiting the independence of the Elections Commission and effectively giving veto power over elections to presidential candidates.
On October 19, the police brought elections to a halt after two of the three presidential candidates refused to sign the voter registry.
“[I]t is very clear to them now that the Supreme Court does not resemble any idea of a court. So I don’t believe the international community actually seriously takes the Supreme Court into account. And I would want them to very clearly indicate to the people of the Maldives, that they are with the constitution of the Maldives and not with the vested interests,” Nasheed said.
Further, an election conducted under Waheed’s leadership would be unconstitutional and “it would be very difficult” for the MDP to participate in such an election as such an election is open to interference from the Supreme Court, he added.
“We do not believe that if President Waheed continues in government that he would – or people aligned with him, working with him, in alliance with him – would want an election in the country. I think it is very clear that elections would go our way. If they do not intend to transfer power legally, then we do not see how they would want to have an election. So we don’t think there could be a conducive environment for elections. The Supreme Court will come out with another ruling upon the military or upon the police to definitely obstruct the elections. Come 16th of November, we will be back to square one,” he added.
Speaker to reach out
Meanwhile, Waheed’s Vice President Waheed Deen has stepped down today and a petition by mid ranking officers of the Maldives National Defense Forces (MNDF) calling on the army not to obey any order made by Waheed or his political appointees after November 11 has been circulating on social media.
The Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has come out in support of Waheed assuming the presidency.
Speaking to the press last night, the PPM’s presidential candidate Yameen said: “Now the Supreme Court verdict has come the way President Waheed hoped for or wanted. So I am certain that President Waheed will stay with the Maldivian people at this most difficult time we are facing. I have no doubt about that.”
But Nasheed said the spirit of the constitution was for the People’s Majlis speaker to assume the presidency in the absence of a president and vice president as Article 124 (b) confers presidential powers to the Speaker if the presidency becomes vacant for any reason.
The speaker is expected to reach out to the different arms of the government and the security forces today, he said.
Speaking to Minivan News last week, Shahid said that if the reigns of power are taken over by an unelected body on November 11, it would mark the death of democracy in the Maldives.
Should he assume presidency, his role would be to ensure an election as soon as possible, Shahid said.
“To make sure that we hold an election as soon as possible and that the country is put back on track. That the opportunity for the people to have their say is provided and an elected leader is put in place. And then my job is done. The sooner the better. This is not an opportunity I cherish at all, to be an interim caretaker for this country,” he said.
(0)Dislikes
(0)Related Posts
Nasheed alleges President Yameen “remains under power” of Gayoom- No confidence motion against Speaker disqualified
- Waheed arrived at President’s Office with resignation statement but we advised him to stay, say ministers
- MNDF storms Majlis arrests MP Ali Azim
- JP, PPM fail to agree on contesting election with single candidate
- Guraidhoo Island Council stops ballot boxes inside schools citing “too much black magic”
Nasheed need to shut-up his mount and focus in getting the election to happened on 16th and if he can, defeat Yameen.
Nasheed raises valid points, this country does not belong to Yameen and his partners. He cannot keep changing elections dates so that he can get more time to do anti-campaigning and hold elections on a day he is most comfortable with. Its akin to letting a student decide the dates of his exam and how the examination paper should be set.
There is a constitution that needs to be respected, its not just a piece of paper that Yameen can wipe his ass with, or that Ali Hameed can keep in his butt.
"..at this most difficult time WE are facing.." this most difficult time YOU have created!!!
Yameen promises everything to everything if he wins the elections. But for that to happen he must first allow an election to go ahead.
I don't see why even the stupid people who vote for him can't see through this contradiction.
Agree - just get on with the elections the results yesterday are almost a mirror of September which clearly shows the VOICE of the Maldivian people!
@ Hero on Sun, 10th, 2.45:
You've put it succinctly, if you don't mind a foreigner saying so. Yamin must now be considered slightly the favourite to win, 'cos every one of Qasim's supporters I'm sure lives close to a polling station and will vote for Yameen.
This is a poll that is likely to be won by a mere thousand votes - or less. I'm sure that well over ten thousand Maldivian citizens live abroad; I won't be surprised if I'm told that the number is five times that. I'm also sure that these people vote overwhelmingly for Nasheed. However, they are likely to be suffering from voter fatigue; many of them must already have spent considerable sums of money, five times already, travelling to polling stations - and with an anti-climax at the end of every journey so far.
Nasheed must make them realise that this time Yameen is going for the kill. If the Gay-yooms can win a credible election, they'll go for it. So the 16th will be decisive. Nothing must be done to cast doubt on the polls taking place.
Nasheed must also get the uncommitted moderates to vote for him. Persuading the Member of Parliament, Hamid, to quit the Majlis will help re-assure such people.
However, I wouldn't want to underestimate the need to be vigilant about election rigging in the event of the armed forces controlling the elections.
Nasheed needs to continue reiterating these words and force Waheed out of office. Even our international partners are calling for it and if he has any self respect and protect his credential abroad it is best that he resign. If he does not resign he get the blessing of just 50000 people, just over a quarter of the electorate!
The most UNDER REPORTED big story is that Nasheed failed to win even after 2 attempts. Even after alliance with the 2nd largest party, the DRP.
Too much wool is being put on the face of foreign readers !
Elections would be held in less than a week. So whats the point of all these 'escalation of rhetoric'
Fact is on Nov 16th second round, Nasheed may loose big. period,
What this elections and processes have shown - and proven - is that this country is not ready to handle a democracy.
Corruption and fraud runs deep into politics and politicians beyond repair in the near future.
The people of Maldives needs to wake up and realize what is going on behind closed doors and who is involved as well as their methods. There are "horse trades", bribes and corruption that has nothing to do with democratic processes at all. I am amazed that people dont see this - it is very much in the open. To my opinion, none of the 3 candidates and for sure not the remaining 2 are suitable Presidential candidates fit to run a nation - not even a small country as Maldives.
I really wish democracy was slowly opened opened up by Gayoom earlier. When Nasheed came to power and democracy went ballistic - everyone thought now it is open and free to do whatever i want whenever i want - now its time for us to fill our pockets as much as we can.....thats the reality - thats what is going on here. I have yet to see something that gives a hope for a prosperous future for Maldives with many of the current politicians sitting with power. Crime, gangs, mafia, corruptions, threats, violence, - even murder. Maldivians....please, these are methods effective decades back, not in a modern world.
Do you really want a president who is suspected for fraud of millions of dollars???
Do you really want a president whos only agenda is his personal revenge and revolution. Who was even encouraging a foreign nation to intervene and invade Maldives??
Young Maldivians, educated Maldivians, civilized Maldivians - please step up and claim your country back.
I am really worried about Maldives future - it is a grim picture we see, it is sad and it is nothing less than a disaster.
The Hero with above comments really sounds like a card board Hero. Because President Nasheed's talking and efforts we are seeing results. Insane Qasim and ruthless Yamin would never have signed the voter list if not for Prez Nasheed's efforts. The puppet Waheed will never consider leaving the office if Prez Nasheed did not persuaded the International community to interfere. The clowns and lusty judges in Supreme court would never allow a democratically elected President to be elected by even in 11.Nov .11. 2014.So be a real Hero and come out and vote for Prez Nasheed
NOT stupid you need to drop the 'NOT' and Observer where did 'suspected of ---' come from I'm sure the judiciary would be very happy if there was the slightest chance of pinning that on him and he would have been out of circulation a long time ago. You both need to join the real world and accept the future cos it's about to arrive in your beautiful country
Nasheed is 100% right.
To all Yameen voters "careful what you wish for!!"
Sri Lankan Teacher on Sun, 10th Nov 2013 6:11 PM
"Persuading the Member of Parliament, Hamid, to quit the Majlis will help re-assure such people."
I think that would be a wise decision. Hamid is a liability to MDP than anything else. The party has to show that it takes fairness very seriously.
Just now our puppet announced he shall stay until our Royal is elected. Now F-ck off including international community
This is becoming epic - At least Lord of the Rings had saw the final battle by Version 3. Is ours the Lord of the (Coconut) Rings? Or Lord of the (King) Coconuts? Or simply (Pink) Bananas? The whole thing is getting more surreal by the minute - and its time for a bit of levity before ploughing on.
Wake up and seize the moment! Grow up Maldives - and take the responsibility that comes with liberty - and then live with it. You really don't want a Pink Hitler on the loose do you? Do we detect a masochistic streak - and a fair dose of selective memory? Not national characteristics we can be proud of. So lets shake em off!
The painful truth for Yameen is that he'd have lost badly today if the election went ahead. There's no other free country on earth where a single political party can lay the entire country to hostage and deny their universal right to elect a leader in a guaranteed manner.
Nasheed is 100% right in that any election held with Waheed squatting in the President's Office cannot be considered legal, never mind how many judgements come out of the Supreme Court. The United Nations have said as much and called for an interim government until elections take place.
The people of this country have stood in the rain and under the tropical sun, for hours on end, to try to elect their chosen leader. The elderly and the young endured this. The total number of man-hours that the Elections Commissioner and staff have worked in preparing and running the elections amounts to more than what the rest of the Maldivian civil service has done in the last 10 years!
Yet Yameen doesn't even have the decency to abide by what he agreed to! And this is even before he has taken any role in the government, never mind being President. Ladies & gentlemen, how can you trust someone like that? Pause and think.
The Oxford dictionary needs a new entry, i.e. "a Maldivian election" to refer to an improbable event. The police are free to barricade the Elections commission and force them to stop holding an election. The police commissioner has publicly said his staff cannot be prosecuted for that. The Supreme Court can pretty much do whatever they please at the moment.
Ladies & gentleman, the Maldives at the moment is a bit of a joke around the world. It's very serious for us as we have to endure the hardships that is to follow. Until a caretake government is in place, the Maldives might as well be off the world map.
@ToxicT: "You really don’t want a Pink Hitler on the loose do you?" In the words of an Irishman, how do you deal with Al Capone?
If he draws a knife, you draw a gun. If he sends one of yours to the hospital you send one of his to the morgue... Epic words.
I wish Almighty sends a Tsunami to this Nation .... or a shower fire .. amen
@ToxicT on Mon, 11th Nov 2013 12:07 AM
Yes, you in the Maldives have got to get your perspectives right, think objectively and dispassionately, and then vote. I've been following election-related events there carefully, but don't imagine that this is the case with every person in the world, or that these events will be remembered for ever.
I changed my usual practice today and tried seeing what the Indian Edition of Google News has. Their top story is Sachin Tendulkar. Among "World Stories" they had the aftermath of the Philippines Hurricane etc. Clicking on "More World Stories" for THE SECOND TIME brought me Chinese comments on Manmohan Singh's boycott of CHOGM. The next click brought me this:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/10442375/Dozens-executed-in-North-Korea-for-watching-foreign-films.html
After the fourth click nothing more was brought to me on the Indian Edition. So, don't expect many people in the world to know much about the significant and fascinating things happening in the Maldives right now.
I know that many Maldivians have great affection for "Anni", but have reservations about voting for him. I personally think him a wonderful man and wish him well. He stands for many good things, and Muslims like him could show the World that its "Islamaphobia" is misplaced, but don't exaggerate the importance attached by "the World" to events there. Google depends on advertising and gives readers what they are likely to be interested in.
You've got the world hearing what you want it to hear - and more. Gayoom is by default described in every blog written for the average reader in the world as having "ruled autocratically for thirty years". Well, I spent three happy years there during his rule; many of us knew that there were things going on that we'd better not talk too much about, but it wasn't like what North Korea MAY be like now for the average citizen. I'm sure that a political agitator like Nasheed knew what was coming, and even now, I think, he's quite rational.
So, may God, Allah, Shiva, Yahweh, or the teachings of the now dead Buddha, guide all of you in voting wisely; and most definitely, let Islam remain unchallenged as the only religion in the Maldives; but do be tolerant towards humble agnostics who may have mental reservations regarding all such dogmas.