Senior military officers send “letter of concern” to Chief of Defence Force

Senior officers in the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) have sent a “letter of concern” to Chief of Defence Force Major-General Ahmed Shiyam, following the failure of the country to hold scheduled elections on Saturday (September 28).

Police surrounded the Elections Commission (EC) on Friday with orders from Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz to storm the building and confiscate ballot papers should the EC continue to attempt to hold the election.

The Supreme Court had the previous evening opened at midnight to order security forces to physically obstruct the election in line with its earlier suspension, invoking article 237 of the Constitution, concerning the authority of the security services to “protect the nation’s sovereignty, maintain its territorial integrity, defend the constitution and democratic institutions, maintain and enforce law and order, and render assistance in emergencies.”