By IANS,
Male : All three presidential candidates signed the crucial voters’ list here Wednesday, signalling the go-ahead for the election in the Maldives Saturday.
Providing a more positive run-up to the presidential election to be held Nov 9, the candidates insisted that they were focused on holding the poll before a constitutional deadline of Nov 11.
This is the third time that the Maldives is attempting to democratically elect its president after the Supreme Court intervention and deep political turmoil derailed two previous attempts.
The agreement to sign the list was reached during the sit-down between opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Abdulla Yamin and Jumhoory Party (JP) candidate Gasim Ibrahim with the incumbent President Mohamed Waheed.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting at the president’s office, both Yamin and Gasim, who had been dragging their feet over endorsing the voters’ lists, told reporters they want a new president to be elected before the constitutional deadline.
“If there is no clear winner after the Saturday polling, we are willing to have a second round run-off Sunday if the Elections Commissioner can arrange it,” Gasim said.
The positive attitude has taken a long time in coming as Gasim’s allegations of massive vote rigging resulted in the annulment of the first round of voting Sep 7.
National and international monitors had said the poll was free and fair.
Yamin and Gasim also refused to sign off on the voters’ lists during the second attempt at a vote Oct 19, resulting in police blocking the election.
The Elections Commissioner called off the poll just hours before the voting was to begin.
The Maldives has been under intense pressure from the international community led by the US and India to resume the democratic process and elect a new president as stipulated in the constitution.
Unless a new president is elected by Nov 11, the speaker will take over and oversee the transition of power. However, such a move could push the Maldives and its lucrative tourism industry into further political disarray.