The European Union (EU) has welcomed the Supreme Court’s verdict against nullifying the results of the presidential election held on September 23.
The EU expressed support for the verdict in a tweet, stating that the ruling respects the will of the Maldivian people and facilitates a smooth transition of power.
The tweet also expressed eagerness to work with the future Maldivian government and stated that the EU anticipated the restoration of all democratic institutions.
Welcome the decision of the #Maldives Supreme Court yesterday which respects the will of the people and paves the way for an orderly transfer of power. We look forward to working with the future government of Maldives and expect the full restoration of democratic institutions.
— EU to the Maldives (@EU_Maldives) October 22, 2018
The EU had previously stated that it will not hesitate to take action against the Maldivian government if the transition process were obstructed. Member of the European Parliament, Thomas Zdechovsky, has also expressed concern over the incumbent president’s actions following his electoral defeat.
After initially conceding defeat, President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom made allegations against the Elections Commission (EC) claiming they had tampered with the results.
The president filed a case with the Supreme Court to annul the election, which he had lost to opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih by more than 38,000 votes.
After concluding hearings for the case last week, the full bench of the top court unanimously ruled on Sunday that there were no grounds to order the EC to hold the election again.
Relations between the EU and Maldives deteriorated during the past five years. The EU has repeatedly expressed concern over the violation of rights in the Maldives. The EU had also previously decided to take measures against top government officials over such issues in the past.
Sign In