Maldives poll put off again on apex court’s orders

The Maldives Supreme Court has suspended a presidential election run-off after protests from leading opposition candidate Abdulla Yameen.

On Saturday, ex-President Mohamed Nasheed polled nearly 47 per cent, just short of the 50 per cent needed for outright victory. The second round of voting was to have taken place on Sunday, but runner-up Yameen – a half-brother of former president Abdul Gayoom – sought a delay, saying he needed time to campaign afresh.

Nasheed has been seeking to regain power after he was forced to resign in 2012, sparking a political crisis (See: "May spend rest of life in jail", says Maldives ex-president Nasheed). http://www.domain-b.com/people/in_the_news/20120209_mohamed_nasheed.html

This is the third time the presidential elections have been derailed. A vote on 7 September was annulled by the Supreme Court after one candidate, Gasim Ibrahim, alleged irregularities, despite observer groups deeming the vote free and fair. The court also introduced new guidelines for elections.

Nasheed came close to winning in the first round. Police then halted a planned re-run on 19 October saying the guidelines had not been met, after both Gasim and Yameen failed to approve the voter register (See: Fresh turmoil in Maldives as cops block presidential poll). http://www.domain-b.com/economy/worldeconomy/20131019_mohamed_nasheed.html

This time, the run-off was planned for only one day after the first round, because the constitution stipulates there must be a new president by Monday.

Despite that legal deadline, the Supreme Court, sitting late at nigh,t has now ruled that the run-off "cannot take place" and ought to be delayed by six days.

The court said the Sunday run-off might have "undermined the constitutional rights of many people", agreeing with Yameen's assertion that he needs more time to campaign.

Mohamed Nasheed's party and the Commonwealth's special envoy, Don McKinnon, will probably be furious, reports the BBC's Charles Haviland , as both had issued statements insisting there be no further delay to the voting process.

The US state department described the demand for a changed election date as "unreasonable" and said it feared delaying the second round could destabilise the country.

Mohamed Nasheed won the Indian Ocean archipelago's first-ever democratic vote in 2008, replacing Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ran the country autocratically for three decades.

On Saturday, Nasheed polled 46.93% of vote, while Abdulla Yameen polled 29.73 per cent.

Third-placed Gasim Ibrahim, a wealthy resort owner and a former minister under Gayoom, was out of the running with 23.34 per cent.

The suspension of Sunday's voting means there cannot be a new president by the constitutional deadline of 11 November, when the term of current president President Mohamed Waheed Hassan ends.

The Supreme Court had already announced that the current president could stay on, but Waheed has said he doesn't want to.

Besides, some army officers have been circulating an appeal calling on soldiers not to obey the current president beyond the legal expiry of his term at midnight on Sunday.