The Maldives government has said that it is committed to hold free, fair and credible elections but urged the opposition parties to “refrain from such illegal activities.”

In a press statement on Friday, the government said takes note of the statement issued by the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) together with Ambassadors of France, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, the United Kingdom (UK), Canada and the United States of America (US), on Thursday.

EU’s joint statement stated that “legitimate opposition is a vital part of any healthy democracy, & it is critical that authorities respect fundamental freedoms, including freedom of assembly & speech.”

The Maldives government stated that it fully concurs that a legitimate and genuine opposition is a vital part of any healthy democracy but that “attempts to undermine the Constitution and the laws of the land and to hoodwink the people and hype pre-election political rhetoric cannot be considered as responsible political activities and thus will not have any place in the current political landscape of the country.”

The government said: “Actions taken by the Government to stop such illegal and irresponsible activities and to maintain law and order and peace in the country should not be considered as actions aimed at curtailing or limiting fundamental freedoms guaranteed under the Constitution, including freedom of assembly and speech.”

“As friends of the Maldives, it is important for the international community, especially the proponents of the statement, to equally urge and encourage the opposition parties to refrain from such illegal activities and to genuinely demonstrate their full support and commitment to ensure the conduct of a smooth, transparent, credible and an inclusive elections process.”

The Government ended by reiterating its commitment to work with the Elections Commission and all other relevant State authorities to ensure free and fair elections in which all eligible candidates are granted an equal opportunity to contest.