President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has called on the international community to renew its commitment to democracy. He made the remark while delivering his national statement at the 2nd Summit for Democracy hosted by President of the United States (US) Joe Biden.
In his statement, President Solih highlighted the significant progress made by the Maldives since the first summit in 2021 and described fiscal accountability and transparency as essential requisites to the effective functioning of a democracy. He said that his administration had proposed two amendments to legislation to ensure greater independence for local councils and strengthen public procurement policies and audit mechanisms. He added that the administration is working towards moving to performance-based budgeting.
Additionally, President Solih noted that judicial reform is one of the priorities of his administration and that public perception of the judiciary has significantly improved over the past four years, with more swift and transparent court proceedings now in place. He added that an amendment to the Judicature Act has been proposed to the Parliament, which would enable the establishment of district courts and the circuit system, which would ensure greater efficiency and accessibility.
Furthermore, President Solih highlighted his efforts to promote gender equality and ensure the inclusion of women in decision-making roles, describing it as one area in which his administration excelled. The administration has appointed female justices to the Supreme Court, achieved parity in diplomatic representation abroad, and increased the number of women councillors in local government over the past four years. He also noted that the administration's Gender Equality Action Plan of 2022 is a step towards increasing the representation of women in local government, corporate governance, the Parliament, and the judiciary.
Moreover, President Solih stressed the importance of a free and independent civil society for a properly functioning participatory democracy. He noted that threats to safety are considered detrimental to an open society in the Maldives and said that the administration-led Associations Act aims to empower civil society organisations financially by allocating more significant financial resources from the state. He added that with the introduction of a non-governmental organisation (NGO) portal, civil society organisations will have access to information and resources to increase their collective capacity.