Speaking in this week’s radio address, President Mohamed Nasheed said the peaceful and competitive nature of campaigning for upcoming local council elections was a sign of maturity of democracy in the Maldives.

 
The country’s first ever local council elections will be held on 5 February 2011.
 
He said he was also engaged in campaigning for his Maldivian Democratic Party candidates who stood for local council elections.
 
However, he noted that he should adhere to the democratic principles while campaigning for his party candidates.
 
The President said he should participate in campaigns “to the extent to which presidents or prime ministers of other democratic countries involve themselves in campaigns.”
 
“I will involve myself in [electioneering] to that extent. That is the current political reality. That is the spirit of this country’s Constitution”, he added.
 
Continuing in this regard, the President said what should not be done in electioneering was clear for everyone.
 
“What we should not do is, using the power of state to restrict the rights of any candidate”, he underscored.
 
He noted that elections were the bases of development in a democratic society, and these elections were based candidates’ rights.
 
The President said nothing about the election change until there was an unwarrantable change or restriction of a candidate’s rights in the election process.
 
In his 82nd weekly radio address broadcasted this morning, the President also spoke on the government’s electoral pledges and outlined the extent to which the government was able to deliver these pledges.
 
Stating that providing social security was one of the pledges of the government, he stressed that the government has achieved over 70 per cent of its social security programme.
 
In addition, the President also highlighted the success of establishing a nationwide transport network.
 
The President said the government was encouraged by the success of its new transport network, and a total of 360,688 return journeys have been made across the transport network, excluding the travels in Malé area.
 
Outlining the government’s plans to further the transport network, the President said a national ferry route will be established in addition to the provincial ferry systems.
 

He also revealed that the government was in discussion with other countries of South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) to connect the countries via a South Asia ferry.