As the Maldives goes to polls on 7 September, President Dr Mohamed Waheed has urged all citizens to ensure a successful election. He made the statement in his address to the nation before Saturday’s election, which was broadcast tonight at 8.30pm.
President said all citizens must prioritize national peace and harmony over other interests. He also called on all citizens to ensure that even the weakest amongst us were able to exercise their right to vote freely. He also called on everyone to accept the election result.
He said that only the Maldivian people will decide who will become their leader for the next five years.
“Democracy is the will of the majority. Nonetheless, democracy is not a perfect system. Of all the existing forms of government, democracy is believed to be the best form of government by the majority of people”, said the President.
Continuing in this regard, President said the result of a democratic election would be the will of the majority.
He said attaining democracy and new freedoms should not mean that we must abandon the good values in our society.
He added that as the Maldives became a democracy much later than most other democratic countries in the world, the Maldives would have the benefit of learning paths taken by those countries to become a democratic nation.
In his speech, President said our patriotic duties and adherence to democratic principles must take precedence over everything else and that we must realign our focus from individuals to that of the entire nation. He said the Maldives must remain as one, as must all Maldivians.