Maldives Concludes First Round of Presidential Election

Maldives has just concluded the first round of their presidential election Saturday.

Reports say the country prepares for a second round of voting on September 28.

According to tally results Mohamed Nasheed garnered the 45 percent of the vote in Saturday’s election. He will face Yaamin Abdul Qayyoom received 25 percent of the vote.

Mr. Nasheed was elected in 2008 after decades of reign but resigned in 2012 after massive protests were launched against him.

US Congratulates the Maldivian People

In her press statement in Washington DC, Deputy Spokesperson Marie Harf says the United States congratulates the Maldivian citizens for conducting a successful first round of their presidential election on September 7.

“The very high voter turnout showed the strong commitment of the people of Maldives to democratic government.” – Ms. Harf

Ms. Harf calls for all parties to respect the democratic process and continue to allow for a free, fair and peaceful vote to take place.

She says the election represents a historic opportunity for Maldivians to select democratically the representative of their choice.

On the road to democracy

In November 2011, the UN human rights chief Navi Pillay said Maldives has made “significant advances” during the first few years of its transition to democracy. Also, Maldives deserved credit for the progress it has made since a reform agenda began nearly a decade ago.

Multi-party presidential elections were held for the first time in 2008, ending 30 years of one-party rule, and the country has ratified six of the seven core international treaties.

In addition, Maldives recently became the 118th State Party to the ICC, which is based in The Hague in the Netherlands and can try cases relating to war crimes committed since July 2002.