Additional reporting by JJ Robinson, Daniel Bosley and Mohamed Naahii.

With just hours to go before polls are scheduled to open and with the voter lists still unsigned by two of the three candidates, the Elections Commission held a press conference to declare that voting will proceed as planned.

“Ultimately, the Supreme Court has ruled to not delay the elections,” said Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek, reading out the Supreme Court’s ruling following the court’s early morning crisis meeting.

“’We inform you the Supreme Court verdict no 2013/SC-C/42 delineates how the 2013 Maldives presidential election is to be conducted,” Thowfeek read.

The Jumhooree Party (JP) and Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) sought a court order of Friday evening to delay the election, while the Elections Commission (EC) requested the court clarify how it was to proceed.

The Supreme Court’s guidelines issued following its annulment of the first round of polling said the EC was to hold elections before October 20 with the support of relevant state institutions, Thowfeek noted.

He highlighted President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s statement on Friday, in which the president called on all parties to facilitate the election to proceed as planned in line with the guidelines on October 19.

Thowfeek said the commission had chartered flights to dispatch ballot boxes to the atolls. However, they were initially unable to do so because the police had suspended their support while political parties sought a ruling at the Supreme Court.

EC Member Ali Manik said he had spoken to the police who had confirmed their support to hold elections as per the Supreme Court’s guidelines.

Thowfeek appealed to the police to uphold their responsibilities and support the EC.

“The PPM and JP failed to [sign the lists]. I believe their failure to do what they should do must not stop the entire system. Just because one person fails to do their duties, refuses to do what they must do, it does not mean everyone else must stop their work, and deprive the Maldivian citizen’s of their right to vote,” Thowfeek stated.

“It is not only the candidate right to vote, but also the citizen’s right. All citizens who have been waiting for [the vote] must get their rights.”

Shortly after the EC’s early morning press conference, the police issued a statement at 5:30 am stating that police “will not support an election held in contravention of the Supreme Court verdict and guidelines.”

In a letter addressed to Thowfeek, the police informed the commissioner “when the Supreme Court has ordered state institutions to ensure compliance with [its guidelines], the police will not support an election that contravenes the guidelines delineated in the verdict as such an act contravenes the Supreme Court verdict.”