The Maldives government has stated that it views the recent statement issued by the United States as imposing undue influence on the country.
Responding to the US Department of State’s announcement that it would to adopt sanctions on the Maldives if the political situation in the country does not improve, the Maldives government issued its own statement on Friday accusing the US of intimidation and imposing undue influence on the democratic processes of a sovereign state.
In the statement, the Maldives government stated that it has been working closely with the Elections Commission and all other relevant stakeholders to hold free and fair election and that the two candidates competing in the election are actively campaigning and hosting rallies across the country, in a democratic and conducive environment on a level playing field for both candidates.
However, the opposition coalition parties have repeatedly stated that their candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih’s campaign is being hindered by various institutions including the police service, the broadcasting commission, civil service commission, and the HDC.
While the statement from the US urged the government to implement the Supreme Court order on February 1 which ordered the release of political prisoners and reinstatement of opposition MPs, the Maldives government responded that the February 1 order was nullified, in part, by another Supreme Court order on February 6 and that other parts of it were suspended in a Supreme Court order on February 18. Therefore, there is no legal mandate to implement the initial court order, the government stated.
The international reputation of Maldives has gone down drastically since the election of President Abdulla Yameen and the European Union has passed a framework to impose sanctions against state institutions and individuals that undermine human rights and obstruct political freedom in Maldives.
UK, which is the first country to implement the EU framework, has also urged the government to implement the Supreme Court order on February 1.
