UN chief urges peaceful presidential polls in Maldives

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his deep concern at the delay of the re-run of the 7 September presidential election annulled by the Supreme Court and called on all concerned to ensure that the polls take place as soon as possible. Ban Ki Moon is "deeply concerned" by the new delay in the vote and called for "political leaders and state institutions to live up to their responsibilities, respect the democratic process and participate in a credible, peaceful and inclusive re-run election as soon as possible," UN news center quoted the spokesman Martin Nesirky as saying. "The aspirations and the will of the Maldivian people were expressed in the 88% participation of eligible voters in the 7 September election. The Secretary-General strongly believes that the legitimate will of the people should not be denied." The country was supposed to hold a fresh vote on 19 October after the Supreme Court annulled the results of the 7 September polls. However, police reportedly stopped officials from holding the election yesterday. The UN has sent an envoy to the Maldives several times in a bid to press for a negotiated end to political tensions in the state, which adopted multi-party democracy in 2008.