Male - Maldives sank further into political disarray on Saturday when police blocked officials from conducting a presidential re-vote, saying holding the election would violate a Supreme Court order.
It's the latest blow to the young Indian Ocean democracy, which has only about three weeks before the end of the current president's term. If his replacement is not elected by then it will spark a constitutional crisis.
The court had annulled results of the September 7 election, agreeing with a losing candidate that the voters' registry included fictitious names and dead people, but it set conditions for a re-vote that police said elections officials did not meet.
Elections Commissioner Fuwad Thowfeek attempted to hold the election as scheduled, but on Saturday morning he said the ground floor of his building was full of policemen stopping his staff from carrying election material outside.
Thowfeek accused the police of overstepping their legitimate role.
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