Commonwealth observer mission says Maldives Presidential runoff was peaceful and transparent   |03 October 2023

Mr Faure (5th from left) with the observer team of the Commonwealth

Maldives’ presidential runoff held on Saturday, September 30, was peaceful and transparent, according to Seychelles’ former president, Danny Faure, in his capacity as Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group.

In his preliminary statement issued yesterday following the second round, Mr Faure commended the people of Maldives for the peaceful and orderly manner in which they exercised their right to vote, stating that similar to the first-round, “the observers saw citizens across the Maldives exercising their democratic rights with great civility”.

“We also realise this democratic exercise would not have been possible without the high level of diligence and coordination shown by the Elections Commission of Maldives and their staff, as well as by the Maldives Police Service”.

The Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group said they observed that polling officials meticulously followed all pre-poll procedures, as was the case with the conduct of the first round on September 9 and opening of polls took place on time.

He added that the observers were impressed by efforts made by the Elections Commission to improve their processes in response to some recommendations made in the preliminary findings in the first round.

“We noted the improvements introduced by the Elections Commission to protect the secrecy of the ballot. These include relocation of some polling stations to more spacious facilities and the modification of voting booths,” said Mr Faure.

According to him, voter verification was yet again well managed and they observed changes introduced in relation to applying indelible ink to the voters.

Mr Faure added that additional ballot boxes at some polling stations significantly improved queue management and led to a smooth process.

The Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group said eligible voters came out to cast their votes, and participation and inclusion were observed with some polling stations catering for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), and priority was also given to pregnant women, PWDs and the elderly.

Voting was also observed for the diaspora in five countries – India, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

“We were pleased to note the higher voter participation in this election. We were also encouraged to note the significant presence of women and youth among voters and polling staff at many polling stations.”

The observers also noted that hourly updates of those who voted by the polling officials was very useful and commended these officials for providing gender disaggregated data of those who voted.

Mr Faure also commended the observers and monitors of the political parties contesting the election, whom he said were present at most polling stations visited and who conducted themselves professionally. The police’s discretion and professionalism were also observed, similar to the first round.

“Our overall assessment is that the conduct of the second round of the Presidential Election was peaceful and transparent. Credit for this outcome must go, most of all, to the Maldivian people, who once again demonstrated their commitment to the democratic process of their country. We reiterate our earlier appeal to them to maintain the same commitment to peace in the post-election period,” he stated.

The final report on the 2023 Presidential Election will be submitted to the secretary-general of the Commonwealth, and later shared with the Maldivian government and other key stakeholders, before being made public.

Saturday’s runoff led to the election of the country’s opposition candidate, Dr Mohamed Muiz with more than 53 percent of the vote, compared to incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, with 46 percent. 

The first round was on September 9.

The Commonwealth delegation will depart Maldives on October 4.

Compiled by Patsy Canaya