Foreign monitors at Maldivian Presidential polls

by Manjula Fernando

"There is no reason whatsoever to fear that the people of the Maldives will be deprived of a free and fair election, the visiting Maldivian President Dr. Mohamed Waheed said in an exclusive interview with the Sunday Observer last evening.

The second democratically held Presidential elections in the Maldives will be held on September 7.

President Dr. Waheed said the Maldives has a free system of election and anyone who is interested in monitoring the election is welcome to do so.

The Sri Lankan Elections Commissioner Mahinda Deshapriya has been invited by the Maldivian High Commissioner Hussain Shihab to take part in observing the September 7 elections.He said that the election is being held by an independent elections commission and the government had no control over the election.

The conduct of the polls will be monitored by over 200 independent polls monitors including a team from the Commonwealth Secretariat.The Maldivian President who is on a two-day working visit to Sri Lanka, was hosted to breakfast by President Mahinda Rajapakasa at President's House yesterday. He paid a visit to Lanka Hospitals, apopular medical care centre among Maldivians followed by a meeting with the Sri Lankan business community with interests in the Maldives.

Dr.Waheed said Sri Lanka has been a steady friend and supported the Maldives at all times. The good relations between the people and at Government level would be further strengthened after the commencement of direct flights by Maldivian Airlines, the Maldives' official carrier, on August 7.

He said that Maldivians feel comfortable living in Sri Lanka and that the highest population of Maldivian nationals living outside their motherland live in Sri Lanka, numbered between 8,000-10,000.

They are mostly students and medical tourists.The Maldivian head of state is scheduled to return today.