The Abdullah Yameen government in yet another bizarre act days ahead of Sunday’s Presidential polls has barred international journalists including from India from monitoring elections even after the country’s Election Commission approved visit by scribes to the Indian Ocean country for the same.What has even surprised the international community is the fact that the Maldives Election Commission on Friday night published list of journalists and monitors including those from India whose names have been approved to cover the elections. However, with two days left for the elections visas have not yet been issued.While an Indian national can enter Maldives through visa on arrival, business visas were required to cover Sep 23 Presidential polls. This was criteria that was clearly outlined when journalists and monitors expressed their intention to cover the elections. Interestingly, the Maldives EC also published list of journalists who were debarred from covering the elections and list includes state-run media from here.The international community has likened the situation to some countries in South and Southeast Asia where scribes are treated in such a fashion. In contrast to Maldives, Nepal, Bhutan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have not barred and are not barring travel of any journalist to cover elections. Pakistan, though, had barred Indian media from covering this year’s polls that brought Imran Khan to power.The election is taking place amid allegations of wide-ranging crackdown on dissent. Opposition in Maldives have long alleged high-handedness by the Yameen government.Yameen is standing for a second five-year term in polls on Sunday, promising "transformative economic development", including jobs and housing for the Maldives' large youth population.Over the past five years, Yameen has suspended parliament and jailed or forced into exile nearly all his political rivals, including two Supreme Court judges who defied him by ordering the release of opposition leaders. The president also declared two states of emergency in three years, citing threats to national security.The eligible voter base in Maldives is just over 260,000 and Yameen won the 2013 election by a narrow margin of 6,000 votes. The opposition's joint candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, a member of parliament, has promised to restore democracy, release dissidents, and investigate corruption allegations against Yameen.