Commonwealth election observers arrive in Maldives

Observers deployed by the Commonwealth to monitor the upcoming presidential election in Maldives has arrived in the country, with the chairperson of the group Danny Faure saying that the presence of Commonwealth observers at the September 9 presidential election affirms the Commonwealth’s continuing solidarity with the people of Maldives.

Issuing the group’s arrival statement in the capital Male, the former president of Seychelles said on Monday that it is a great honour to be a part of "this important democratic endeavour".

“This moment is even more significant as this will be the first Commonwealth Observer Group to observe an election in the country since Maldives re-joined the Commonwealth in February 2020," he said.

There are 282,395 eligible voters in this year's presidential election.

Faure emphasised the independence of the observers.

“Our mandate is to observe, and not to interfere with the electoral process,” he said.

Faure explained that the Commonwealth observers would evaluate the pre-election environment, polling day, as well as the post-election period and would give a substantive account of their observations.

Members of the Commonwealth Observer Group arrived in Maldives on Saturday and will stay until September 15.

Over the next four days, the observers will receive briefings from a range of stakeholders, including election management officials, representatives of political parties, civil society groups, the police, members of the diplomatic community, and citizen and international observers.

“We will consider the electoral process as a whole and report on whether it has been conducted in accordance with the national, Commonwealth, and other international standards to which Maldives has committed itself,” the chairperson added.

The group’s final report will be submitted to Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland, the Maldivian government, the country's Elections Commission, political parties, and Commonwealth member governments. The report will later be made available to the public.