Former President Mohamed Nasheed is to hold a press conference in Sri Lanka, where he is to share details regarding the presidential elections 2018.

RaajjeMV understands that the conference is to be held this Monday, January 22, at the Taj Samudra Hotel in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

The former President is to share details of the joint opposition’s work for the upcoming elections, as well as concerns reagrding the lack of room for a free and fair election in the Maldives.

While a number of senior opposition are currently working from Colombo, they met with foreign representatives to the Maldives earlier this week, including US Ambassador Atul Keshap and British Ambassador James Dauris.

In a tweet posted on Thursday, Ambassador Keshapn highlighted the importance of “all members of parliament being able to attend all sessions and exercise their full rights and duties as elected representatives of the people and defenders of democracy”.

Noting that 2018 will be ‘a big year for democracy in Maldives,’ Dauris said that members of the opposition had shared concerns that the presidential elections ‘are not shaping up to be free or fair and that parliament is being stopped from working as the people need it to’.

Incumbent President Abdulla Yameen’s term in office will end in November this year, and an election must be held prior to that. While the elections are just a few months away, opposition leaders Nasheed, Adhaalath Party’s Imran Abdulla and Jumhooree Party’s Qasim Ibrahim are not able to contest, as they all have been convicted of a crime, and sentenced to prison. Opposition leader former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is unable to contest due to an amendment brought to the Constitution in 2015, changing the age criterion for a person to be qualified for election as President, to a minimum 30 years, and a maximum 65 years.

Furthermore, criminal trials are ongoing against a number of senior officials of the opposition, including parliamentarians.