Pressure Mounts on Maldives to Hold Presidential Vote

International pressure mounted on the Maldives on Wednesday to go ahead with a presidential run-off election due this weekend which the Supreme Court has suspended.

Canada, Australia and the European Union joined the Commonwealth, the United States and other countries in calling on authorities to hold the vote on Saturday as previously scheduled.

Ex-president Mohamed Nasheed is seen as the front-runner in the run-off against Abdullah Yameen, the half-brother of former autocratic ruler Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

The statements triggered a strong reaction from President Mohamed Waheed, who branded them "irresponsible" and urged the international community to halt speculation.

The polls are seen as a test for the Maldives' young democracy, 18 months after the violent ousting of Nasheed, who resigned in February last year following a mutiny by police.

The Colombo-based U.S. ambassador Michele Sison said she met Maldivian officials and political party leaders in the capital Male on Tuesday and Wednesday and urged them to "resolve the issue of elections promptly".

Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird urged Maldivian judicial authorities "to not unduly delay the expression by Maldivians of their democratic will", while Australia said it "hopes to see an early resumption of the electoral process".

Baird also condemned a reported pepper-spray attack on Nasheed during a protest following the Supreme Court's suspension of the run-off on Monday night.

European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton called on the island chain -- which is popular with well-heeled overseas tourists -- to push ahead with the run-off.

"I urge all Maldivians to work together to safeguard the integrity of the democratic process and ensure that the second round takes place in the same impartial and effective spirit as the first," she said in a statement.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday also voiced concern over the delay, stressing it was "of the utmost importance" that the will of the people be respected.

India, which sent election observers to the Maldives, said the court case has resulted in "uncertainty concerning the second round, which may have an impact on peace, stability and security in the country".

Responding to the growing criticism, President Waheed said: "I... call on foreign governments, the U.N. and the Commonwealth to show responsibility and to refrain from issuing statements commenting on, and speculating about, the ongoing court case.

"Irresponsible statements by foreign governments and international organisations would not be helpful in consolidating democracy in the country."

Waheed placed last in the September 7 first round with just over five percent of the popular vote.

Nasheed won that round with 45.45 percent. The vote was found to be credible and fair by domestic and international observers.

The court on Wednesday heard a petition by the third-placed candidate Gasim Ibrahim, who claimed electoral malpractice in the first round of voting.

Nasheed has called for nationwide "peaceful" protests and his Maldivian Democratic Party held a large rally in the capital Tuesday night, spokeswoman Shauna Aminath told Agence France Presse.

"About 5,000 people participated in the rally and it went off peacefully," she said.

Nasheed, a former pro-democracy campaigner, has railed against the country's judiciary before.

He sees it as biased and intent on protecting the interests of former autocrat Gayoom and of a handful of tycoons who control the tourism industry.