Former President Mohamed Nasheed. PHOTO:AFP
The vote to right in elections cannot be abolished for the armed forces of the Maldives, declared convicted Former President Mohamed Nasheed on Wednesday.
He made the remark in a tweet, referring to the announcement made by Minister of Defence Adam Shareef late Tuesday that the government will submit an amendment to abolish Subject 20 of the Armed Forces Act in order to bar military officers from voting in elections. The defence minister stated that the objective of this decision is to separate the Maldivian military from political influences and to remove bias.
Former President Nasheed said in his tweet that armed forces play an imperative role in building the nation and protection of citizens. He declared that the right to vote must be accorded to the military.
The defence minister’s announcement has been met with concern from some lawmakers and legal operatives, who have stated that as the right to vote is accorded to every Maldivian citizen aged 18 and above under Subject 26 of the Constitution, this right cannot be abolished for the military via an amendment to the Armed Forces Act.
However, Subject 16 of the Constitution states that a constitutional right may be narrowed down with a law passed by the parliament. Nonetheless, such rights can only be narrowed down to standards approved and in effect in independent democracies.
The right to vote is accorded to the police, military and all armed forces of developed countries around the wold.