Month: August 2013

Adhaalath Party “curses” Nasheed, accuses MDP of increasing support through black magic

Religious conservative Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla has accused Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidate and former President Mohamed Nasheed of using black magic to garner support for the party.

“As a result of bringing in people from India, Sri Lanka, and various parts of the Maldives to perform black magic for [Nasheed], and then casting spells on food and feeding them to the masses, Nasheed has caused large numbers of people to become blind towards all his wrongdoings, and to imagine characteristics of being democratic and pro-development in him, and to be deluded into thinking they are in absolute support of him while in reality they are in a crazed state of enchantment and therefore run behind him,” Imran said, addressing the Jumhoree Coalition’s first major rally in the capital.

“Nasheed’s followers are anti-Islamic people like him and huge criminals. The rest are people under the influence of his black magic. Most people are bewitched and under black magic spells. This is the state of this country,” he said.

“Nasheed is doubtless an agent – one who has been rather well trained – sent in by enemies of Islam and our nationalism,” Imran continued. “A vote cast for Nasheed is an act which will facilitate the eradication of Islam from this country and will hurl us into a state of slavery.”

He furthermore alleged that during Nasheed’s time as President, he had “forced alcohol down the throats of Maldivians”, erased Islam, sold national assets and gave the profits to his “cronies”, and had himself “hidden away in his pockets US$16 million by giving away the airport to GMR”.

Moving away from his religion-based rhetoric, Sheikh Imran then spoke of Chinese superstitions as his justification of why people should not vote for Nasheed.

“In matters involving luck, the Chinese would never opt for number four,” he stated.

“If Nasheed approaches the 1 billion people of China as Candidate Number Four and asks for their vote, he will not be able to get a single vote,” he said.

Imran also spoke of how Nasheed is “spending billions on his campaign while he does not own any major assets or businesses in the country”. Imran then accused Nasheed of accepting funding for his campaigns from “foreign churches aiming to spread anti-Islam propaganda”.

Towards the end of his speech, Imran admitted that he “tends to levy a lot of criticism against Nasheed”, and said that this was not due to any personal grudges against the candidate.

“I have to speak against Nasheed because of the things he has done in these past several years; because of his anti-Islamic policies and anti-Islamic activities. Because I do not wish for a man like to him to become the head of state,” he continued to explain.

“Unlike other candidates, I must speak of Nasheed more openly as even the Quran instructs us to enlighten those who are ignorant and do not know any better.”

The religious conservative party’s leader also criticised the other two candidates contesting against Jumhooree Coalition candidate and businessman Gasim Ibrahim in the upcoming September 7 elections.

Referring to Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen, Imran said that Yameen had failed in engaging with the public or garnering any support for himself. He alleged that as a result, Yameen had ended up having to bring out his half-brother and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom to campaign for him and PPM instead.

Imran then spoke of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan, alleging he had been unable to maintain the initial “wide coalition” that he had formed as a result of “having chosen the wrong running mate at the wrong time”.

“Although Waheed was leading the race with the largest support base when talk of presidential elections first began, he no longer has the guarantee that he can even manage to get a simple five percent of the votes this election,” Imran said.

In the same week, Adhaalath Party member and current Islamic Affairs Minister Sheikh Shaheem Ali Saeed said that he had repeatedly performed prayers from the time Nasheed was elected President wishing for an end to his time in government, asking “Allah to curse Nasheed by setting dogs on him”.

“Every time I kneeled down in prayer, I repeatedly prayed a ‘dua’ performed by Prophet Mohamed (pbuh) against a man who had spit in his face,” Shaheem said, at a Jumhooree Coalition rally held on Mahibadhoo, stating that this was the first time he had prayed for the toppling of a government.

“The Prophet made this prayer against a man who spat on his face. What happened as a result is, the man was away somewhere on a trip. Then while he was asleep, a man-eating dog came and sniffed at people. Once the dog found this particular man, it attacked him and completely ripped him apart,” Shaheem stated.

Adhaalath Party had previously entered a coalition with Waheed’s Gaumee Ihthihaadh Party (GIP), which has appointed Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) leader Thasmeen Ali as Waheed’s running mate.

They later left the coalition and defected to Jumhooree Gulhun, backing resort tycoon Gasim Ibrahim and his running mate, Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) leader Dr. Hassan Saeed.

The Jumhooree Coalition now consists of the Jumhooree Party, the Dhivehi Qaumee Party, Adhaalath Party and PPM’s former interim Deputy Leader Umar Naseer and his supporters.

Politicians use ‘religion’ as a tool to play with hearts: Nasheed

“As Islam is deeply embedded in the hearts of Maldivians, some politicians are bringing out religion as a political tool to try and tamper with our hearts,” Nasheed said, speaking at the MDP’s rally held in Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Nasheed stated that at different times during the political changes of the past years, various politicians, as well as people who present themselves as religious scholars, have used religion for the purpose of furthering political gain.

Nasheed stated that some political figures who present themselves as “religious scholars” are people who do no more than “slaughter camels or bind leather books”.

“The people of Maldives are now aware of all this. We have seen how the coup regime and the long 30 year regime before that is and has been maintained. The people have rolled up their sleeves and begun work to take the Maldives to a far better place,” Nasheed said.

Adhaalath has displayed nothing but hypocrisy for the past years: PPM MP Nihan

“Imran is obviously wrong about our presidential candidate and his campaign strategies,” PPM MP Ahmed Nihan, said in response to Imran’s criticisms of the party’s presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen.

“There are two political ideologies in Maldives: that of former President Nasheed, and of former President Maumoon. They are the champions of Maldivian democracy and reform,” Nihan said.

“Our party is open about the differences in opinion between PPM and MDP about the levels of contribution these two presidents have made to the democracy movement, but that doesn’t undermine the commendable work done by either of them. Who is Imran to talk about this? The Adhaalath party made no contribution whatsoever to either the reform movement or the efforts to establish democratic governance here,” Nihan retorted.

“In the past seven years, the Adhaalath Party has displayed nothing but record levels of hypocrisy. They are responsible for destroying the healthy competitive political spirit in the country by behaving like a commodity on sale, selling themselves to whichever party offers them a higher price. The PPM has never entered an alliance with them,” he continued.

“Leave aside Imran’s criticisms of Yameen – who is he to call Nasheed an anti-Islamic person? His party’s coalition, Jumhuri Gulhun, has set up a campaign station in my constituency Villimale’ on a plot of government land which has long since been walled away for the purpose of building a mosque. They have set up speakers and are playing campaign songs on a holy plot of land reserved to make a mosque, and still have the nerve to call others ‘laadheenee’ (irreligious)?” Nihan stated.

GIP Spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza stated that Imran was making up excuses while he very well knew the truth of the matter.

“Sheikh Imran knows better than anyone else that the Adhaalath Party did not leave the GIP coalition due to any issues with Dr Waheed’s choice of running mate. They left because we were unable to give them as much money as they asked for their campaign activities,” Riza said.

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Maldives Police Service launch election operation

The Maldives Police Service (MPS) has begun sending large numbers of police officers to the islands in preparation for the upcoming presidential election.

The MPS launched ‘Operation Blue Waves’ at 6:00pm on August 15 and will continue it “until voting ends and the elected president is officially sworn in”. The stated objective of the operation is “making the presidential elections proceed peacefully”.

The second-ever democratic presidential election in the Maldives is scheduled for September 7, while the second-round runoff will take place (if necessary) October 28, followed by the newly elected president taking the oath of office November 11.

‘Operation Blue Waves’ priorities include “stopping campaign members from breaking any campaign laws as well as stopping any incident that may occur”.

The MPS has stated that a large number of police officers from Male’ and the atolls are participating in the operation.

While normal patrolling will continue in Male’, additional police officers will also be deployed under ‘Operation Blue Waves’ to “maintain peace” by patrolling the capital in two shifts.

The MPS has begun sending officers to the islands Saturday (August 17), with police teams sent to most central and southern atolls, including Faafu, Dhaalu, Meemu, Thaa, Laamu, and Huvadhoo Atolls, as well as Fuvahmulah and Addu City.

Additionally, police officers who have recently completed the Police Recruitment Training Course on Vaanee in Dhaalu Atoll, are to be deployed in the atolls north of Male’.

Meanwhile, police are to be deployed from Male’ to the northern atolls today (August 18).

Prior to launching ‘Operation Blue Waves’ the police had several discussion meetings with the Elections Commission (EC) regarding the “assistance police can offer”, Police Spokesperson Chief Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News Thursday (August 15).

Haneef explained the proposed MPS elections assistance included: providing security for EC heads and officials, election offices, candidates and their running mates; stationing police officers on every inhabited island; making voting arrangements for incarcerated individuals; curbing criminal offenses; and establishing protocols for incidents that might occur during elections.

The MPS plans to maintain peaceful law and order and public safety during the election by “increasing the visibility of police actions during elections, as per the rules regarding the presidential election”, said Haneef.

There will be a “police presence on every island where vote boxes are to be kept”, he noted.

“Police teams will be stationed 100 feet away from the ballot boxes in normal situations,” Haneef continued. Officers will also “attend criminal offences whether they occur at the vote centre, or otherwise”.

Police have been trained for “various possible scenarios” and “units to act during emergency situations will be kept on alert,” he explained.

“[Additionally,] discussions have been held between the MPS and Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) to establish protocols for joint operations to bring back order,” Haneef added.

Elections Commission regulations

Currently the EC is drafting a document to articulate what the MPS’ mandate will be during the September 7 presidential elections, which is to be made public this week.

EC President Fuwad Thowfeek outlined some of the key regulations related to concerns regarding police interference with elections while speaking with Minivan News in July.

“Police cannot stand within a 100 foot radius of the ballot box,” Thowfeek confirmed.

“Police can enter the area only if the Head of Polling Station requests their assistance to control any criminal activity that goes beyond his control,” he continued.

“The role of the police will be to assist the Elections Commission in keeping peace and public safety,” he added.

Last week, EC Vice President Ahmed Fayaz further explained to Minivan News that while the commission has requested the MPS play a supporting role to help ensure peaceful, free and fair elections take place, police officers cannot intervene without a specific EC request.

“Police can intervene only at the request of the Elections Commission staff,” said Fayaz.

“The police are playing a support role and support will be requested [by EC officials] in case anything happens that would prevent a smooth election,” he continued.

“We have requested police provide assistance on every single island that will have ballot boxes,” he added.

The MPS mandate regarding elections is limited to enforcing law and order and monitoring the situation on each island, Fayaz noted.

MPS manipulating election: MDP

Meanwhile, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has continued to accuse both the government and senior police officials of trying to undermine free and fair elections, alleging the institution was actively seeking lists detailing the country’s deceased in an attempts to try and rig voting.

Earlier this month, MDP MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor claimed that concerns about police trying to seek the details of deceased nationals reflected the party’s wider suspicions that senior figures in the MPS were trying to use their influence to manipulate the election.

Ghafoor said one key concern had been an announcement back in June that staff at the Department of National Registration were refusing to continue issuing national identity cards 94 days before elections, complaining of a malfunctioning air conditioning unit.

Yesterday (August 17) the EC revealed that 38 people’s names have been fraudulently re-registered to vote outside of their home towns in next month’s presidential poll.

However, earlier this month the EC rejected any possibility that the identities of deceased citizens could be used to fraudulently vote in the upcoming election.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed also emphasised his concerns about police influencing September’s presidential election results while speaking at an MDP campaign rally in July.

“According to information I am getting, [Police Commissioner] Abdulla Riyaz is instructing police officers to barge into polling stations upon his signal, after two individuals enter and create a scene,” Nasheed declared.

The second method by which the police will attempt to ruin the elections is intervening during the vote counting process, after claiming that difficulties are being experienced, such as the election being “rigged”, Nasheed alleged.

The MDP maintains that its presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed resigned on February 7, 2012 in a coup d’etat instigated by mutinying police officers of the Special Operations (SO) command.

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Government to restart construction of 300 flats for MNDF officers

President Dr Mohamed Waheed has announced that work is to restart on a project to construct 300 flats for Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) officers and their families.

Dr Waheed said Thursday (August 15) that the government had previously failed to provide enough attention to the welfare of MNDF officers, who also required rights as Maldivian citizens, according to the President’s Office website.

President Waheed said the 300 flats being provided to officers were expected to be completed by next year, adding that his government would work to ensure the project faced no further delays or suspensions.

He also denied that the flats were being provided to officers “as a favour from those in power”, stating that the housing was being given as a duty of the government.

Flats for police officers

The government’s decision to restart the flat construction for MNDF officers was announced after President Waheed earlier this month handed 50 flats on the island of Hulhumale’ to the country’s “top 50” police officials.

Police Spokesperson Chief Inspector Hassan Haneef told Minivan News at the time that the 50 officers presented with housing were required to undergo an “internal” selection procedure, based on specific criteria outlined by the institution itself.

Haneef explained that all officers who applied for the housing were then judged on a points system using the aforementioned internal criteria, with the “top 50” officers being selected.

Since President Waheed’s government came to power during the controversial transfer of power on February 7, 2012, which followed a mutiny by sections of the police and military, more than 1000 officers have been promoted, while 110 new police officers were hired.

A housing scheme has also been introduced for police officers, with 300 flats to be constructed in Hulhumale’, arrangements were made for cheap accommodation in Sri Lanka for officers and their families and a loan scheme was set up for police officers.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) meanwhile has raised concerns whether the 50 flats – which it contends forms part of the “Veshi Fahi” Male’ (decongestion) project launched under the previous government in 2011 – were being given to the most deserving.

MDP MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor has previously said it was “very concerning” that police should be given flats exclusively, to the detriment of teachers, doctors and other civilians. He also questioned how officers themselves had been selected for the process.

“The intention for these flats was for the needy and people who deserved them. This is why these flats were built,” he added.

President Waheed awarded the housing days after Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz declared that police would continue to refuse any orders deemed by the institution to be “unconstitutional”.

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Local exhibition highlights Maldivian made merchandise

From shoes, bags, and clothes made in Maldives, to locally grown fruits and vegetables – a variety of local products and services were on display at the “Dhivehinge Fannu” (Maldivian talents) exhibition organised by the Economic Ministry.

The three day exhibition opened at the Art Gallery on Thursday is part of the ministry’s efforts to promote local brands of goods and services.

“We wanted to bring the locally produced goods and services provided by Maldivian businesses and individuals under one roof” says Aminath Asma, Assistant Manager of Sales Marketing of Asaree Services, the event’s planner.

Around 20 different exhibitors including large and small businesses, non-profit organisations, and individuals are participating this year said Asma, adding that the Ramadan and Eid holidays had overshadowed their efforts to get parties to sign-up for the exhibition, affecting the number of participants.

“But, we are still happy with the turnout and in next two years we will increase efforts to get more businesses to join.” she added.

Taste of Maldives

The most successful stalls at the exhibition seemed to be the one’s displaying Maldivian tuna products.

Among other things, visitors had the chance to try out samples of barbecued tuna, crispy tuna sticks, and Rihaakuru – a traditional thick fish-based paste eaten by almost every Maldivian.

Next to the stalls of big fish processing companies such as MIFCO (Maldives Industrial Fishing Company), individuals running home-made businesses making small finger foods – mainly made from tuna – were also bravely marketing their products.

One of the ladies selling home-made Rihaakuru pointed to the jars on her table and said:

“Our Rihaakuru is much better than MIFCO’s products. Everyone knows it.”

At the exhibition Minivan News also came to learn about Maavahi island – an uninhabited island in the north where local vegetables and fruits are grown to supply both resorts and the domestic market.

A garden-like Maavahi stall displayed a wide range of fruits and vegetables including lettuce, chillies, pumpkins, dragon fruits, papaya, bananas, and mangoes.

Due to the geographical disadvantages of dry climate conditions and infertile soil, the Maldives has never had a large agricultural sector and almost all the food products – besides tuna – are imported for domestic consumption and resort supply.

According to the Maavahi stall manager, they have been using hydroponic technology and also fertilisers to increase their productivity and overcome the natural disadvantages.

“However, we still don’t have the production capacity to match the demand” the official pointed out.

Very “special” products

Among the exhibitors, two stalls run by the Ministry of Gender and Family and the Care Society of the Maldives also stood out. They displayed a collection of beautiful handicrafts and artwork including paintings and picture frames made by children and elderly people with special needs.

“It takes lot of handwork and time for the children to make these things,” said an official from Care Society, a non-government organisation supporting rights of special needs people and providing educational and training services.

Meanwhile, the lady at gender ministry’s stall noted that they did not have sufficient funds to market these “special products by special needs people”.

“So we mostly rely on exhibitions such as these to market and sell it,” she added.

Among other exhibitors, custom made shoes, bags, and slippers made by local company ‘Slippers’ were on display. According to the shop owners, they import leather, fur, and other raw materials before manufacturing the items in the Maldives.

Clothes, cakes, andcultural artifacts made by Maldivian’s were also items on display at the exhibition.

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Criminal Court issues three year jail sentence for cannabis use

A young man has been sentenced to three years in prison for using cannabis, reports local media.

The 19 year-old Male’ resident was arrested in April 2013 in Male’s Mahchangolhi ward on suspicion of having used drugs.

The young man confessed in court that he was on drugs at the time of his arrest, which was confirmed by drug tests conducted during the investigation that were positive for cannabis, the Criminal Court said during sentencing.

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Human Rights Commission to post election observer teams

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) will station election observer teams in 10 regions of the Maldives to “ensure that eligible voters are provided with the right to vote,” reports local media.

The situation in all parts of the Maldives will be monitored via phone and in addition to the Commission’s observer teams, a special team will also be in Male’ to “act in cases of emergency”, stressed the HRCM.

“Our staff have also been trained on how the police are allowed to use force during the elections,” HRCM President Mariyam Azra told local media on Thursday (August 15).

The HRCM has conducted a training program for the observers, in addition to meeting with the Elections Commission (EC), police and political parties in the run up to the September 7 presidential elections.

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24 year-old male hospitalised after allegedly drinking cleaning chemicals

A 24 year-old male from the island of Bodufulhadhoo in Alifu Alifu Atoll has been hospitalised in Male’ after allegedly drinking cleaning chemicals, according to local media.

Sun Online has reported that the individual was transported to Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH) in Male’ early yesterday (August 16), though no further details have been provided on his condition at present.

Police Spokesperson Chief Inspector Hassan Haneef was not responding to calls at time of press.

The patient was reportedly taken to Bodufulhadhoo Health Centre on Thursday (August 15) evening with the incident reported to police shortly after 10:00pm.

Doctors at the local health centre recommended that the individual be taken to the capital immediately for further treatment.

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Budget shortfall leads Maldives to seek $US29.4 million Bank of Ceylon loan

President Mohamed Waheed has requested parliament approval to obtain a US$29.4 million loan from the Bank of Ceylon to finance the government’s budget and manage cash flow.

The Ministry of Finance and Treasury is seeking to secure the loan as a way to “enforce” the 2013 budget approved by parliament, stated a letter from the President’s Office read during a parliament session held on Tuesday (August 13).

The Finance Ministry informed the President’s Office that the Bank of Ceylon would provide the Maldives’ government a loan of US$29.4 million, at a six percent interest rate, to be repaid within six years in monthly payments of US$490,000, according to local media.

The Government of Maldives believes the short term loan offers “good terms” and will provide the support necessary to finance the state budget and cash flow. The President’s Office letter also noted that the graduation of the Maldives from least developed country status has made it “extremely difficult” to obtain loans with low interest rates.

Previously, upon parliament’s approval of the 2013 budget, it was agreed that the state could not take out loans with interest rates that exceed seven percent.

The President’s Office Bank of Ceylon loan request has been forwarded to parliament’s finance committee.

Foreign loans for “fiscal problems”

In 2012, President Waheed reportedly said he would not resort to borrowing from foreign governments in order to finance government activities.

“I will not try to run the government by securing huge loans from foreign parties. We are trying to spend from what we earn,” he was reported to have told the people of Nilandhoo Island.

However, the government has sought a number of foreign loans to supplement the state budget.

Last month, the government confirmed it was in discussions with Saudi Arabia, seeking a long-term, low interest credit facility of US$300 million to help overcome “fiscal problems”.

President’s Office Spokesperson Masood Imad confirmed President Waheed had held discussions with senior Saudi Arabian dignitaries including Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud over the proposed credit facility, during his recent visit to the country.

“The president has initiated the talks so it is just a matter of working out the details now,” Masood said, explaining that the funds would be used for “budget support” and development projects.

In September 2012, President Waheed told Reuters that China will grant the Maldives US$500 million (MVR7.7billion) in loans during his state visit to the country.

The loans, equal to nearly one quarter of the Maldives’ GDP, would include $150 million (MVR2.3billion) for housing and infrastructure, with another $350million (MVR5.4billion) from the Export-Import Bank of China, reported Reuters.

China’s aid was hoped to provide an immediate salve to the government’s financial ailments, which at the time included a MVR 9.1 billion ($590million) budget deficit.

Additionally, the government was seeking a US$25 million state loan from India required to support the state budget for the remainder of 2012. The loan was delayed after the Maldives’ government failed to submit the requested paperwork, a diplomatic source from the Indian High Commission in the Maldives previously revealed.

The US$25 million loan was agreed as part of the $US100 million standby credit facility signed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in November 2011.

It is not clear whether the foreign loans from India and China have been received, or whether parliament has approved the state obtaining loans from Saudi Arabia or Sri Lanka’s Bank of Ceylon.

Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad as well as Deputy Speaker, Parliamentary Financial Committee Head, and People’s Alliance (PA) MP Ahmed Nazim were not responding to calls at time of press.

Failure to fill budgetary gaps

Finance Minister Abdulla Jihad claimed back in late December 2012 that the MVR 15.3 billion (US$992 million) state budget approved by parliament might not last until the end of 2013 – requiring supplementary finance for the state.

In April 2013, Jihad sought authorisation from parliament to divert MVR 650 million (US$42 million) allocated for infrastructure projects in the budget to cover recurrent expenditures.

Jihad warned that government offices and independent institutions might be unable to pay salaries orelectricity and phone bills if funds were not transferred from the MVR 1.8 billion (US$117 million) Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP).

Earlier in April, Jihad also announced that the government had decided to delay all new development projects that were to be financed out of the state budget due to shortfalls in revenue.

The decision to suspend new projects was revealed after Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muiz told local media at the time that he had been instructed not to commence any further infrastructure projects included in the 2013 budget, such as harbour construction or land reclamation.

“Reckless financial management”: MDP

In July, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said that the heavily partisan parliament now effectively controlled state finances as a result of former opposition politicians – now part of President Waheed’s government – imposing tighter spending restrictions on former President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration.

Ghafoor argued that with the MDP failing to recognise the legitimacy of the present government due to the controversial transfer of power last February, he did not believe there would be support for approving the credit agreement with Saudi Arabia due to the government’s existing extravagant borrowing levels.

The party accused the current government of reckless financial management, pointing to a potential US$1.4 billion compensation bill facing the state for deciding last year to abruptly terminate a US$511 million airport development contract agreed with infrastructure group GMR.

The compensation claim amounts to four times that of the Maldives’ current state reserves should it be awarded by a Singapore court overhearing arbitration hearings between GMR and the government.

“Since we do not see this government as legitimate, we do not see why we should support them,” he said. “They have put us into debt with their handling of the airport development and another bill for a border control system.”

Earlier in July, Malaysian security firm Nexbis invoiced the Department of Immigration and Emigration for US$2.8 million (MVR 43 million) for the installation and operation of its border control system technology in the country, in line with a concession agreement signed in 2010.

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Elections Commission discovers 38 cases of fraudulent voter registration

The Elections Commission (EC) has revealed that 38 people’s names have been fraudulently re-registered to vote outside of their home towns in next month’s presidential poll, local media has reported.

The fraud emerged when those concerned informed the commission that they had not in fact re-registered.

CNM also reported that 36 names had been registered in more than one polling station. The EC explained that these people will therefore remain registered at their original location.

The EC has declared that 240,302 voters are eligible to vote in the upcoming presidential elections, 31,008 more than the number of eligible voters in the 2008 presidential elections (209,294).

As the deadline for registration passed last week, the EC reported that 65,745 people had re-registered, surpassing original estimates of 65,000. The EC will publish the final voter registry on August 20.

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