COLOMBO, June 2: The Maldivian parliament voted unanimously on Thursday to allow multi-party democracy for the first time in the tiny atoll nation ruled by President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom since 1978, his spokesman said. The parliament supported a proposal by Gayoom to allow political parties to seek recognition and contest elections, ending the no-party system in the tiny nation of 300,000 Muslims, his spokesman Ahmed Shaheed said. “The president will now issue a proclamation passing the new legislation into law at the next first working day on Sunday,” Shaheed said.—AFP
