Badi Soch: The Maldivian struggle for identity

The Supreme Court of the Maldives has indefinitely postponed the September 28 presidential election runoff in response to allegations of first-round voter fraud made by Jumhooree Party candidate Qasim Ibrahim, resort tycoon and finance minister under former president Maumoon Gayoom. Meanwhile, the office of the Indian Minister of External Affairs Salman Khurshid expressed that “we are deeply disappointed and distressed” by the Court’s decision.

Ibrahim finished in third place behind Gayoom’s half-brother Abdulla Yameen of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and former president Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). As per Maldivian law, a runoff is necessary, as no candidate attained 50% of the vote.

These developments represent another setback for the fledgling democracy, which held its first direct elections in 2008 to end Gayoom’s thirty-year regime. Nasheed, long-time dissident and the country’s elected successor, resigned in February 2012 amid mass “Defend Islam” protests — calls for religious asceticism — backed by the police and military. This rise of Islamic conservatism further complicates the political picture, as the surging fundamentalist Adhaalath Party backs Ibrahim’s candidacy. Moreover, the PPM, representing the vestiges of the Gayoom regime, has declared its support for the Jumhooree claims.

Abroad, fears mount of instability in this geopolitical keystone, standing amidst crucial oil routes from the Persian Gulf to Asia. International pressure for the runoff to be held on schedule is also increasing.

In the context of these events, the Supreme Court decision indicates an odd marriage of convenience between Gayoom-era elites and the fundamentalist-backed Jumhooree Party to contest the moderate reformist bid of Nasheed. The winner will face looming destabilisation of its tourism-dependent economy and a bitter struggle for the identity of the island nation.

Compiled by: Hal Bergold

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