THE Maldives has rejoined the Commonwealth, meaning there are now 54 nations in the global organisation which has a membership of more than 2.4 billion people.

The change came into effect at one minute past midnight on Saturday February 1 – just over an hour after the UK left the EU.

The republic quit the Commonwealth in 2016 after being threatened with suspension over its human rights record and lack of progress on democratic reform.

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, a campaigner for democracy during decades of autocratic rule who was elected in 2018, pledged change and swiftly applied to rejoin.

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The island nation has been re-admitted after showing evidence of functioning democratic processes and popular support for being part of the family of nations.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Baroness Scotland, announcing the decision, said: “I warmly congratulate the Maldives on its success.

“The reform process under way in the Maldives aligns with the values and principles of the Commonwealth and we encourage the nation to continue on this path.

“Together we will support the Maldives to realise its ambitions.”

Baroness Scotland consulted the other Commonwealth nations, who all had to agree to Maldives’ readmission for it to go ahead.

Famed for its sandy white beaches and luxury tourist resorts, the Indian Ocean archipelago – home to around 500,000 people – is made up of nearly 1200 islands, most of them uninhabited.

During his election campaign Solih vowed to promote human rights and, since his surprise win, political prisoners have been freed and exiled opposition figures have returned to the islands.

Within months of taking power, he wrote expressing interest in rejoining the Commonwealth, before making an official application.

Solih said: “Today is a happy day for Maldivians. As a young democracy, the Commonwealth’s foundational values of the promotion of democracy, human rights, good governance, multilateralism and world peace remain relevant to us more than ever.

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“We gratefully acknowledge the support and help of the Commonwealth to the Maldivian democratic movement, and we look forward to the support of fellow member states to ensure the long-term entrenchment of these values in our society.”

The country faced an assessment including two site visits and consultations in accordance with the rules and procedures agreed by the Commonwealth Heads of Government in Kampala, Uganda, in 2007.

In 2016, the Maldives government quit the global body under former president Abdulla Yameen, saying it had been treated “unjustly and unfairly”.

The country had been threatened with sanctions if it failed to show progress in key democratic governance issues, including the release of political leaders and misuse of anti-terrorism legislation.

Yameen, who was elected in 2013, was accused of a crackdown on political rivals, courts and the media.

The islands, which became a multi-party democracy in 2008 after decades of autocratic rule, had been in political turmoil since its first democratically-elected president, Mohamed Nasheed, announced his resignation in 2012.