UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 9 (Xinhua) -- A high-ranking UN official travelled to the Maldives on Thursday to discuss preparations for next month's presidential elections.

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Miroslav Jenca underlined to all interlocutors the utmost priority of ensuring peaceful, fair and transparent elections, said the UN spokesperson's office in a note to correspondents.

Jenca met with President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, who is seeking re-election, as well as government ministers. He was encouraged by the government's commitment to ensure credible elections, and further discussed ways and additional efforts to build a level playing field for fair electoral competition.

Jenca also exchanged views with the joint opposition presidential candidate, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, and his running mate, emphasizing the critical role of the opposition in the democratic political process.

With the Elections Commission chair, he exchanged views on maintaining the commission's impartiality, the voter registry, unimpeded space for campaigning, equal access to media, complaint resolution and both domestic and foreign observation.

Jenca stressed that genuine and inclusive dialogue between political parties is the only conducive way to build a peaceful, prosperous and stable democracy.