Democracy cannot be perfected by holding a few elections: President

President Dr Mohamed Waheed has said that democracy is not something that can be perfected by holding a few elections.

In his message on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, the president said that democracy cannot be perfected within a day, a year, or by holding ‘two or three’ elections.

He said that great efforts have to be made, including establishing justice and establishing a government that fully obeys the constitution, in order to instil democratic values in a country.

He highlighted the importance of ensuring that people’s rights re not compromised when making amendments to the constitution and creating new laws.

“The people want reforms that bring about peace, equality, and wealth. These things cannot be achieved without listening to the voice of the people,” said President Waheed.

The president went on to highlight the importance of listening to the ideas of the youth, who currently make up the majority of our population, and said that the opinions of young people are of equal importance as the experience of the elderly in matters related to our nation.

He assured the people of the Maldives that the government will continue to do everything necessary to instil democratic values in the country, and to ensure that these values are passed on to future generations.