Supreme Court election dispute throws Maldives into legal void
28 Sep 2013, 12:30 PM
Neil Merrett
Maldivian lawyers have claimed the country has been thrown into a legal void by the dispute over whether to move ahead with run-off polls scheduled for today (September 28) in defiance of a Supreme Court order.
Speaking to Minivan News, former Attorney General Husnu Suood – who had represented the Elections Commission (EC) in the Supreme Court this week before being thrown out for ‘contempt of court’ – said the dispute had left the country’s ongoing democratic transition in “limbo”.
“I am of the view that all institutions have a duty to uphold the constitution,” he said in response to the EC’s efforts to hold voting within the time line established under Article 111 of the constitution.
“According to the constitution, the Supreme Court’s word is final only in respect of the interpretation of provisions of constitution and law. Here, the Supreme Court had not given an interpretation on Article 111. However, Judicature Act says that all state institutions must abide by the rulings made by courts.”
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