Maldives vote for president after delay

The court intervened again to change the runoff election date, which had been set for the day after the Nov. 9 election. It also ordered Hassan to continue in office despite the official end of his term on Nov. 11.


The European Union warned that the country might slip back to autocratic rule and said it is considering “appropriate measures” if Maldives fails to elect a new president Saturday. It said further delays will be seen as attempts to prevent Maldivians from exercising their democratic rights.

U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said earlier this week that Hassan's decision to stay beyond his term endangered the people's right to elect a new leader and called for the election to be concluded soon.

Maldives has seen much upheaval in the five years since its first multiparty election. There has been conflict between the judiciary, Parliament and the presidency, which often worked in different directions. The judiciary and bureaucracy were often accused of being loyal to Gayoom, the former autocratic ruler.

Nasheed was elected in 2008 but resigned midway through his term last year after weeks of public protests and declining support from the military and police over his decision to detain a senior judge whom he perceived to be biased. He later said he was ousted in a coup but an inquiry commission rejected the allegation.
Maldives is a predominantly Muslim nation of 350,000 people. About 240,000 are eligible to vote Saturday.