Maldives re-elected unopposed to UN Human Rights Council

The Maldives has been elected unopposed to the UN Human Rights Council for a second term, despite controversy over the legitimacy of the government.

“The Maldives believes that increasing the human rights resilience of the new and emerging democracies should be a priority for the Council and the entire UN system. The Maldives, being an emerging democracy itself, is ideally placed to contribute to the Council’s efforts in helping human rights promotion in such countries,” read a statement from the Maldivian Foreign Ministry.

President Mohamed Waheed announced that he was extending his term in office past the November 11, half an hour before it was due to expire. The international community has expressed concern and alarm that this has left the Maldives in a constitutional void, including the US, UK, Canada and the Commonwealth, which today placed the country on the agenda of its human rights and democracy arm.

The Foreign Ministry meanwhile said the Maldives had “stood for the voiceless in the international society; for the issues that affect the very fundamental values of human rights yet, hardly get a mention in global human rights debate; and it stood for helping the vulnerable and emerging democracies to cultivate the values of human rights in their societies.”