Maldives won't allow political parties until constitutional reform process is comple

Maldivian President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
on Wednesday ruled out allowing a multiparty democracy in
the tropical Indian Ocean archipelago until proposed
constitutional reforms are implemented.
Gayoom, who has ruled the Maldives since 1978, said there
was "no scope for political parties" under the existing
constitution.
He told a rare news conference in New Delhi that a special
parliamentary assembly, or Majlis, has been given a year to
draft new laws, but did not say when the reforms would be
introduced.
Political parties are banned in the Maldives, a nation of
278,000 people on 1,192 coral islands about 500 kilometers
(300 miles) off the coast of India.
--more
1313 Local Time
1013 GMT