NEW DELHI: As Maldives gets ready to welcome a change of government, former foreign minister
Dunya Maumoon and her sister Yumna are visiting New Delhi for consultations with the Indian government this weekend.
After Ibrahim Solih won the Maldives elections in a surprise victory, ousting
Abdulla Yameen from power, countries are moving to re-engage the Indian Ocean island nation. Yameen himself has been trying everything to annul the elections. Earlier this week, the US state department swiftly moved to caution Yameen that there should be no attempt to derail democracy in Maldives.
"The US and our partners view with great concern any attempt to undermine the democratic process. It is critical that the will of the Maldivian people be respected and upheld," a state department spokesperson was quoted as saying. "We noted before the election the US would consider appropriate measures against any individuals who undermined democracy, the rule of law, and a free and fair electoral process in Maldives." This was conveyed by US acting assistant secretary Alice Wells during a visit .
India has not yet sent any senior official to Male, leaving the ambassador Akhilesh Mishra to resume his outreach. Yameen had reportedly curtailed his movements, along with many other envoys. Meanwhile, the Maldives supreme court is also undoing some of the damage caused after Yameen declared emergency last year - this week, it reinstated four MPs who were told they had lost their seats after they quit the ruling party.
Europe also reached out to engage the new President. In a tweet, the German foreign office said, "Markus Potzel, Commissioner for South Asia, German Foreign Office, met Maldivian Pres. Elect I. Solih to congratulate him on the strong mandate given to him by the Maldivian people."