The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has slammed a leaked police intelligence report circulating on social media alleging election impropriety as “baseless speculation”.
The report (Dhivehi) alleged “some opportunity for fraud” and “illegal voting”, claiming 18,486 irregularities on the voter registry including 588 dead people, 1865 individuals without national identity cards, 39 underage cases and 10,023 address mismatches.
Police have declined to comment on the authenticity of the report, but said such a report could not have been leaked from their offices. Attorney General Azima Shakoor has used the report’s findings in an ongoing Supreme Court case filed by third place candidate Gasim Ibrahim to annul September’s presidential polls.
MDP spokesperson Imthiyaz ‘Inthi’ Fahmy claimed the report’s arguments were “baseless allegations, lies manufactured by senior policemen who overthrew the country’s first democratically elected government.”
President Mohamed Nasheed resigned publicly in February 2012 after sections of the police and military mutinied, took over state media, vandalised MDP offices and beat MDP supporters. Nasheed is now the front-runner in September’s presidential polls with 45.45 percent of the vote. Run-off elections are set for September 28.
International and domestic observers have praised a free and fair election process in the Maldives, and have called for a the second round of polling to proceed as planned.
“Every election will have small irregularities. But none of those highlighted will affect the outcome,” Imthiyaz noted.
Irregularities
The report compared the voter’s registry published on May 30, changes in voter registry on June 29, to the Department of National Registration’s database.
“It is not possible to say with certainty whether people acted on [irregularities] noted, unless we are able to check the list of voters used at voting booths,” the report noted. However, it contends “opportunity exists” for repeated voting, the dead and underage voting and usage of fake identity cards.
The report also raises questions over the high voter turnout, the Elections Commission’s database security, usage of counterfeit ballot papers, and presence of foreign staff at the EC on voting day.
“The election of 2008 was one in which many people desired change and voted. However, polls during this election show a high percentage of undecided voters. Even in the 2008’s runoff election when people wanted change, the turn out was 86 percent. That 88 percent people voted this time can be questioned,” the report read.
Police intelligence had alerted the commission on attempts to hack into its server, but no action had been taken, the report alleges. But, the police are “not certain if compromising information was leaked” but believe the server contained sensitive information.
The report recommends publication of the list of those who had voted on September 7, an audit of the EC’s servers, random sampling of ballot papers to check authenticity, increase in security features on the ballot papers, block foreign staff’s access to the EC on voting day and a recount.
“Based on the above, we believe there are things that may affect results of the election, and therefore believe a recount of votes may assuage doubts and decrease incidence of violence,” the report said.
The EC had previously acknowledged attacks on its server, but refuted claims of security breach and dismissed fears raised by the Jumhooree Party (JP) and Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM)’s fears that foreign IT workers would be given access to electoral databases.
Ongoing court case
Jumhooree Party (JP) candidate Gasim Ibrahim is seeking to annul the results of the first round in the Supreme Court, after narrowly missing the run off with 24.07 percent of the vote.
The PPM has sided with the JP in court, while Attorney General Azima Shukoor has intervened on behalf of the government and called for police to investigate the EC.
The EC has so far disputed allegations of electoral impropriety, noting that allegations raised so far even if factual would have no material effect on the outcome of the first round, and pointed to unanimous endorsement of the election’s credibility by local and international observers.
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Nobody should believe in the words of the MalDeviant Democratic Party, who have a politically motivated stake in upholding the results of the first-round elections as accurate.
The truth is that there were, in fact, multiple peculiarities pertaining to this election that worked to the benefit of the MDP that must be thoroughly investigated. These include:
1)Children below the age of 18 forging identity cards in order to vote.
2)Ballots cast for the MDP by individuals who are long since deceased.
3) Individuals belonging to the MDP casting their ballots twice.
4)Finally, the MalDeviant Democratic Party has in its employ a number of skilled sorcerers tasked with conjuring djinn to attack their political opponents and influencing weak-minded independents to vote for their candidate.
Not only is this an outrageous affront to our religious and cultural values but it gives the MDP a dramatically unfair advantage over those parties that would rather contest the election through sincere and ethical means.
As for "the 'endorsement' of the election's credibility by...international observers", I must iterate Dr. Hassan Saeed's statements that these bodies do not have the requisite resources on the ground nor the knowledge of our cultural norms and practices to make an informed judgement of the situation.
The police have declined to comment on the authenticity of the report, yet state that such a report could not have leaked.
In other words the report is fake, but the police are quite happy with the rumours.
@Dhivehi Hanguraama
Nobody should believe in the words of Jum-whore-y party, who have a politically motivated stake in challenging the results as inaccurate.
The truth is, there were no major issues in the voter registry. And you people just cannot fathom that Gayoom's forces no longer have a majority support in Maldives.
1) Forged identity cards will not have a real I.D. card number, and even if a real I.D. card number was used it would be inconsistent with the data from Department of National Registration and the voter registry. Using forged cards is almost impossible given the measures taken to prevent it.
2) JP's list of deceased voters proved to be inaccurate in the high court case, with 4 people out of the 7 names in the list still being alive.
When the JP was given the opportunity to confirm their allegations by looking at the voter registry they declined, saying that the EC didn't give them sufficient access. They could've checked the fraudulent names they claim to have and proven their case, but they didn't. Why? BECAUSE THERE IS NO EVIDENCE OF VOTES BEING CAST IN THE NAME OF DECEASED PEOPLE.
3) Everybody who votes are required to get the mark on their fingers, and nobody with the mark is allowed to go back and re-vote. If somebody did attempt to re-vote, it would have been right there for everybody to see. But even with all the observers from all the parties there was no report of it on voting day, and no evidence to indicate double voting in the days to come.
4) Harry potter is just a story. Magic is not real!
4)Finally, the MalDeviant Democratic Party has in its employ a number of skilled sorcerers tasked with conjuring djinn to attack their political opponents and influencing weak-minded independents to vote for their candidate.
Hangurama makes a compelling case here, the election results must be annulled.
Total fabrication and the dirty tricks of the old unelected dictatorship!!
@Dhivehi Hanguraama on Thu, 19th Sep 2013 7:43 PM
"I must iterate Dr. Hassan Saeed’s statements that these bodies do not have the requisite resources on the ground nor the knowledge of our cultural norms and practices to make an informed judgement of the situation."
Look chap, it's simples. This isn't rocket science. A man (or woman) turns up to vote; marks a ballot paper, drops that in a box and that's it. In how many ways can this go wrong in front of the whole world?
Answers on a postcard to [email protected]. Thanks.
"Police intelligence", that old oxymoron, eh? Finding "intelligence" within the Maldives Police Service is like looking for extra-terrestrial life. The search continues and will continue forever.
More seriously, who in their right mind would take a report from "police intelligence", when that same group were responsible for the overthrow of an elected government? The Maldivian people have shown that their memories are not quite that short.
Justice will be served for traitors. The net is closing in.
Just political propaganda.
The need for it appears to be subsiding with Nasheed's detente with Qasim.
"justice will be served for traitors. the net is closing in" -
What a joke. Baagees chas, rox,vish and Co are enjoying the net experience. Now Baaghie in chief Settu is getting ready for nuptials.
Ehburun delusionists can now enjoy their Political pygmie charade. Yellow morons
The Police was said to be working very closely with the EC over security and other aspects of this election.
It is felt that if there were any such intelligence, the PC after due consultation with his Commander in Chief, should have brought it to the notice of the Elections Commissioner.
If not, the Commander in Chief as the Head of State, himself should have shared such information with the EC and ensured no irregularities were there and as a candidate himself, secured the free and fairness of casting of votes!
Instead the intelligence report seems to have been kept very top secret!
And now, here it is leaked like a camel fart!
Hopeless gimmickry!