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Has Maldives really taken the first step towards democracy?

On the 11th of November 2008, Mohamed Nasheed of Maldivian Democratic Party has sworn as the president of Maldives. Formerly a famous political activist, now the first democratically elected president in the country, he is 4th president in the nation’s history.

According to the majority people who voted Mohamed Nasheed, the three key reasons behind voting him was because of his promises to resolve the housing and transportation issues, which the former government has exceptionally failed to unravel, and his promise for a mid-term presidential election.

However, as the president, the very first time Nasheed addressed the nation, he was questioned about the mid-term election he promised. His response was the mid-term election he promised was “just a philosophy” he used in his presidential campaign. Then again the same question was asked by another journalist. His answer was different. He said he will see if the current constitution will give scope for a re-election. Could the solution of housing and transportation issues be “just a philosophy” he used in his presidential election as well? Shouldn’t he be aware of the current constitution before making any promises to the fellow citizens who voted for him?

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