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India’s Modi calls for easing of political crackdown in Maldives
NEW DELHI, Aug 12, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Indian leader Narendra Modi on Sunday
called for greater democracy and the restoration of an independent judiciary
in the Maldives ahead of a presidential election in September.
The Indian Ocean archipelago nation has been in turmoil in recent months,
with strongman President Abdulla Yameen jailing or forcing into exile all of
his main opponents.
Modi told the Times of India newspaper in an email interview that political
developments in the Maldives “have been a matter of considerable
international concern”.
“We hope that (the) Maldives government will ensure early resumption of the
political process and allow democratic institutions, including the judiciary
to function independently in a fair and transparent manner,” the Indian prime
minister said.
“This will create (a) conducive environment for the presidential
elections.”
The election is scheduled for September 23 but the opposition has expressed
fears that it could be delayed.
Yameen declared a state of emergency in February after the nation’s top
court ordered that MPs sacked by the president be restored and dissidents
freed from jail.
The Maldives’ chief justice and Supreme Court judges were subsequently
arrested, along with Yameen’s half-brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled
the country for 30 years until 2008.
The European Union and the United States have expressed concern over the
crackdown.
New Delhi’s relations with the Maldives — better known as an upmarket
tourist destination — have also become rocky and the tiny state’s president
has become closer to China in the past year.
India will hold its own national election in 2019, and Modi told the Times
of India that he was confident of winning an even bigger majority despite a
major opposition campaign.
Modi’s right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could face a united
opposition alliance in the elections to the parliament’s lower house.
BSS/AFP/ARS/1842 hrs