The United Nation (UN)’s Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenča has been encouraged by the Maldives government’s commitment to ensure credible elections, stated the UN.

Assistant Secretary-General Miroslav Jenča started his visit in Malé to discuss the preparations for the presidential elections on 23 September.

In a press statement on Friday, the UN said that Jenča has met with President Abdulla Yameen and discussed ways and additional efforts to build a level playing field for fair electoral competition.

The Assistant Secretary-General also met with Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the Joint Opposition’s presidential candidate, and his running mate Faisal Naseem, emphasizing the critical role of the opposition in the democratic political process.

He discussed with the Elections Commission chair on maintaining the Commission’s impartiality, the voter registry, unimpeded space for campaigning, equal access to media, complaint resolution and both domestic and foreign observation.

“Mr. Jenča stressed that genuine and inclusive political parties dialogue was the only conducive way to build a peaceful, prosperous and stable democracy," stated the UN, adding: "He underlined to all interlocutors the utmost priority of ensuring peaceful, fair and transparent elections."