Election Chaos

Despite the earlier assertion that the election will be in August, that probably won't be happening. The opposition apprarnetly wants to drag out the reform process beoynd the end of Gayoom's term in October. So MDP represntataves are not showing up in majlis and denying it a quorum. Because of this, few of the bills that need to get passed before the president ratifies the new constitution have been voted upon. If the constitution goes into effect before these bills are passed there will besically be no valid code governing criminal law, and there will basically be anarchy in the streets. so the president cannot ratify the constitution yet.

At the same time the opposition is threatening to riot to get the president to sign the constitution now, thinking that the worst case scenario will gain them votes.

While Anni, the MDP's candidate, may brand the president's policy towards China as "cheap politics," I think that intentionally attempting to plunge the country into anarchy is more than just cheap- it is inexcusable, to put it mildly.

The economic problems are also not helping Gayoom. Inflation is still out of control. Food is becomming harder to find. There is less and less on the shelves every time we go to the grocery store and some of the food we buy turns out to be spoiled or out of date.