The Commonwealth elections observer team met with Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid on Friday.

At the meeting, former Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who is leading the team, commended the peaceful and organized manner in which the parliamentary elections were held.

He said that elections officials demonstrated a high degree of professionalism and integrity, and was impressed with the responsible use of technology by the elections commission to conduct the elections.

Others who joined the meeting include Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ahmed Khaleel, Foreign Secretary Abdul Ghafoor Mohamed, Additional Secretary Javed Faizal, and Assistant Director Salman Zaki.

The Commonwealth was also represented by Political Advisor Clara Cole, and Communications Officer Snober Abbasi.

The Commonwealth observer team has released a preliminary statement on their findings on the elections, in which they noted the conducive environment prior to the elections and the positive manner in which voting took place on election day. A full report of the findings of the team will be submitted at a later date along with recommendations.

The Commonwealth observer team arrived in the Maldives on March 30 and has visited the elections management center in Male’, travelled to a number of islands, and met with important stakeholders, including political parties and civil society organizations.