Report: Jaxlee
President of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, Ahmed Saleem, has responded to a letter sent to him by the Secretary General of Commonwealth Don McKinnon.In his letter, the Commonwealth Secretary-General had shared with the President of the Commission the findings and recommendations of the Commonwealth expert team that visited the Maldives to observe the 18 August 2007 referendum on the preferred system of government.
Secretary-General had highlighted that the Commonwealth was encouraged by the high voter turnout and the active participation in the referendum of women and young people. He also renewed the offer of the Commonwealth to facilitate a conference between the main political parties and the Government to reach consensus on key issues, and further urged all sides concerned to strive to meet the deadline of 30 November 2007 for completion of the new constitution.
In his reply to the Secretary-General, the President of the Commission welcomed the involvement of the Commonwealth in the reform process of the Maldives, and voiced support for the Commonwealth offer to facilitate a conference between the main political parties and the Government.
Mr Saleem noted the similarities between the reports of the Commission and the Commonwealth on the conduct of the referendum. In particular the reports shared recommendations on the establishment of an independent elections commission in order to facilitate the conduct of more efficient and transparent elections in the future.
The Commission President further supported the recommendation of the Commonwealth team for the Government to urgently adopt legislation allowing for the freedoms of expression and assembly, and to repeal the existing regulations which fall far below the standards set by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
VELIDHOO COMMUNITY
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