For the Maldives, this election season has only brought worries

Outcome could bring friction with India and pressure on democratic rights

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Parliamentary voting in Male in 2019: The Maldives' electoral democracy is limited while rising religious intolerance has increased the stakes of the upcoming polls. © AP

Azim Zahir is a lecturer and research fellow in international relations and politics at the University of Western Australia in Perth. He is the author of "Islam and Democracy in the Maldives: Interrogating Reformist Islam's Role in Politics."

The presidential election to be held in the Maldives on Saturday, the country's fourth since ending 30 years of autocracy in 2008, will not help deepen democracy.

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