Hope that the second round is held as early as possible, says India

India has said that they hope and expect that the second round of Presidential elections is held as early as possible.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Indian High Commission expressed disappointment that the run-off of the Presidential Elections could not be held as scheduled, and stated that they hope that a newly elected President will be sworn in at the earliest.

“It is also a matter concern that as the government ends its term today, no interim arrangement acceptable to all stakeholders to run the country is in place.

"It is important that all sides respect the electoral verdict and democratic aspirations of the people of Maldives. It is our hope and expectation that the second round of Presidential elections is held as early as possible and that a newly elected President is sworn in the earliest,” the statement read.

They noted that date of the second round of elections was fixed for 10 November on specific requests of all the three Presidential candidates and stated that the repeated stalling of the election process remains a matter of serious concern.