Former Foreign Office Minister and Conservative MP for Easton Devon, UK, Hugo Swire has called for action to be taken against the Maldives, proclaiming that a "politically controlled" Election Commission (EC) was preventing the opposition from taking part is the upcoming Presidential Election.
Politically controlled #Maldives Election Commission attempting to freeze out Opposition parties prior to election. Time for the International community to name and shame all those guilty. More robust action desperately needed. Reaction to date has been limp. 1/2
— Hugo Swire (@HugoSwire) May 23, 2018
Swire's comments comes after the Election Commission's recent announcement of political parties' primary regulations.
The EC has issued warnings to main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) that their primary would not be counted, and the party could be dissolved if former President Mohamed Nasheed was allowed contest.
Nasheed, who is currently in self-imposed exile after he was allowed to leave the Maldives for medical treatment, is facing a 13-year prison sentence under terrorism charges for the arbitrary detention of a judge during his presidency, thus ruling him out of the elections in September as per the Constitution.
However, the ex-president has announced his decision to compete in his party's primary. So far, he remains the sole candidate of MDP's primary.
Swire also tweeted saying that "we may now be approaching a time when celebrities and other tourists start to boycott Maldives".
While the international community continues to express concerns over the political situation of the Maldives, the government has been insisting that the nation would handle its internal matters on its own.
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