Maldives' electoral watchdog has moved to allay doubts over the end of the current presidential term.
In 2013, incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was sworn into office on November 17 after a marathon elections after the first round of elections was annulled by the country's top court.
Thee Supreme Court had cancelled the run-off and annulled the first round results in September 2013. A re-run of the first round was held on November 9 and the run-off was planned for the following day due to the need to have a new President in place by November 11.
However, the run-off was again postponed to November 16 by the Supreme Court after Yameen claimed he needed more time to campaign. Yameen eventually won the run-off against the now self-exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed and was sworn in the next day.
During a press conference on Wednesday, elections chief Ahmed Shareef Adam said the commission's members were divided over the end of the current presidential term. Some believe that the term would end on November 11 while others remain convinced that it would end on the day president Yameen was sworn into office, Shareef said.
As the decision could not be made by the commission and its members, the commission has now officially sought an opinion of the Attorney General in a bid to settle the debate, Shareef explained.
"Once we get the opinion of the Attorney General we will make a decision," Shareef added.
But despite doubts over the end of the current presidential term, Shareef assured that the elections would not be delayed past the now announced September 23.
