President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated his administration will always strive to ensure that the democratic rights of the people are safeguarded first and foremost, under all circumstances. He made this remark in his written address to the nation, publicised on the occasion of this year’s International Day of Democracy.
In his statement, the president further noted his government had always assured that all rights stipulated under the Maldives Constitution were being upheld, especially in ensuring freedom of expression towards the government. He also stated this administration gives special prominence to ensuring complete transparency in all work carried out by the administration.
President Solih said the goal of commemorating an international day of democracy is to determine the level of public engagement in a country's affairs. The president said another objective is to preserve people's rights and engage the public in ensuring that the country is administered as per their preferences by the people they chose to run the country on their behalf. He noted one of the fundamental pillars of democracy is the right to vote, which allows the public to choose a leader for their country and have elections before the term accorded by the constitution ends. He also remarked that the right to live and access to food is the most basic democratic right of any human.
The president further called on the Maldivian community to work together to recover from the economic losses caused by COVID-19 so that everyone's basic rights can be guaranteed. He also urged more economic contributions from the youth and female population to increase the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country.
President Solih concluded his statement by saying that the Maldives is getting accustomed to modern democracy and learning about citizen roles. He also stated he is confident that the Maldivians will exercise their democratic right to share their concerns and opinions on how the country should be run.