<p class="title">Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for greater democracy and the restoration of an independent judiciary in the Maldives ahead of a presidential election in September.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Indian Ocean archipelago nation has been in turmoil in recent months, with strongman President Abdulla Yameen jailing or forcing into exile all of his main opponents.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Modi told the Times of India newspaper in an email interview that political developments in the Maldives "have been a matter of considerable international concern".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We hope that (the) Maldives government will ensure early resumption of the political process and allow democratic institutions, including the judiciary to function independently in a fair and transparent manner," the Indian prime minister said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This will create (a) conducive environment for the presidential elections."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The election is scheduled for September 23 but the opposition has expressed fears that it could be delayed.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yameen declared a state of emergency in February after the nation's top court ordered that MPs sacked by the president be restored and dissidents freed from jail.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Maldives' chief justice and Supreme Court judges were subsequently arrested, along with Yameen's half-brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the country for 30 years until 2008.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The European Union and the United States have expressed concern over the crackdown.</p>.<p class="bodytext">New Delhi's relations with the Maldives -- better known as an upmarket tourist destination -- have also become rocky and the tiny state's president has become closer to China in the past year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India will hold its own national election in 2019, and Modi told the Times of India that he was confident of winning an even bigger majority despite a major opposition campaign.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Modi's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could face a united opposition alliance in the elections to the parliament's lower house.</p>.<p class="bodytext">bb/tw/qan</p>
<p class="title">Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called for greater democracy and the restoration of an independent judiciary in the Maldives ahead of a presidential election in September.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Indian Ocean archipelago nation has been in turmoil in recent months, with strongman President Abdulla Yameen jailing or forcing into exile all of his main opponents.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Modi told the Times of India newspaper in an email interview that political developments in the Maldives "have been a matter of considerable international concern".</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We hope that (the) Maldives government will ensure early resumption of the political process and allow democratic institutions, including the judiciary to function independently in a fair and transparent manner," the Indian prime minister said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"This will create (a) conducive environment for the presidential elections."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The election is scheduled for September 23 but the opposition has expressed fears that it could be delayed.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Yameen declared a state of emergency in February after the nation's top court ordered that MPs sacked by the president be restored and dissidents freed from jail.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Maldives' chief justice and Supreme Court judges were subsequently arrested, along with Yameen's half-brother Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who ruled the country for 30 years until 2008.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The European Union and the United States have expressed concern over the crackdown.</p>.<p class="bodytext">New Delhi's relations with the Maldives -- better known as an upmarket tourist destination -- have also become rocky and the tiny state's president has become closer to China in the past year.</p>.<p class="bodytext">India will hold its own national election in 2019, and Modi told the Times of India that he was confident of winning an even bigger majority despite a major opposition campaign.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Modi's right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) could face a united opposition alliance in the elections to the parliament's lower house.</p>.<p class="bodytext">bb/tw/qan</p>