India has continued to put pressure on Maldives to ensure that the run-off in the country’s Presidential poll is held as scheduled, with Union External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid on Thursday saying that the interim move by the Maldives Supreme Court to put off the polls, following the legal challenges mounted by the losing candidate, “undermines democracy”.
“We are deeply disappointed and distressed that this should have happened. Our understanding of the democratic system is that even if there are imperfections in the electoral system, those imperfections need to be addressed in a manner which is not destructive of the very process of elections,” he told reporters in the US.
Khurshid’s remarks came after New Delhi issued a strong statement on Tuesday, when it said that the uncertainty created by Male SC’s interim order will impact the stability and security of the nation.