The Presidential election held peacefully and seamlessly, with 89% of voter turnout, was extraordinary, and a moment that made “every Maldivian proud of how far we have come” in the country’s journey towards democracy consolidation, says the Maldives representative at the United Nations today. The Maldives Permanent Representative to the United Nations, H. E. Dr. Ali Naseer Mohamed was speaking at the General Debate of the ongoing Seventy-Third Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
During his Address to the General Assembly, the Permanent Representative highlighted that following the Presidential election held on 23rd September, the country is at the moment going through the process of transfer of power from one elected government to the other. He also noted that the accelerated pace of democratization in the Maldives is going in tandem with even faster growth in social and economic developments. From the humble beginning, as one of the poorest countries in the world at independence in 1965, to an upper-middle income country today, is a success story by any measure, noted the Maldives statement.
Under the stewardship of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, the Maldives focused on developing and modernizing critical infrastructure to stimulate growth in the country’s main industries and transforming the physical landscape of the capital through consolidating three separate populations, and thus, helping to achieve economies of scale. The Permanent Representative reaffirmed that the Maldives will always work with its international partners and stakeholders, to achieve greater progress and prosperity, both domestically and internationally. Read more