Day: December 21, 2013

EC to seek AG advice on following Supreme Court guidelines

The Elections Commission (EC) has decided to seek advice from the Attorney General on whether the commission must follow the Supreme Court’s 16 point electoral guideline in the upcoming local council and parliamentary elections.

The Supreme Court had issued the guidelines in October in its verdict annulling the first round of presidential polls held on September 7. EC President Fuwad Thowfeek has previously slammed the guidelines as “restrictions”

EC member Ali Mohamed Manik told local media the commission is abiding by the Supreme Court’s guidelines in preparations for the upcoming elections. However, the EC may face the same challenges if the commission were to follow the Supreme Court’s requirements, Manik said.

The guidelines effectively give candidates veto power over polls as they state the EC must obtain the signature of all candidates on the voter registry and mandates the commission ensure that reports on the voting process are compiled in the presence of candidates’ representatives.

The EC has previously said obtaining the signatures of the 4000 candidates contesting local council elections will be “impossible.”

“While some of the points in the guideline state it applies to all elections, we can see that the complete guideline is actually intended for presidential elections when we look at it in its entirety. Most of what is in the full verdict is also about the presidential election. Furthermore, it will be very difficult to follow some of the points in it in other elections,” Manik said.

The Supreme Court’s requirements caused major delays in this year’s presidential elections with three contestants. The parliamentary election will have hundreds of contestants for the 85 constituencies, while the local council election will have over 4000 of contestants running for 1118 seats in island, atoll and city councils in 20 atolls.

LGA and MMA call to merge elections

The Local Government Authority (LGA) – chaired by Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim – has on Thursday announced it will work with the government to organize simultaneous polls for the local council and parliament.

LGA has also requested the government to include the proposal in the planned amendments to the Decentralisation Act.

“When all the elections are held together, it will decrease the economical cost caused by holding separate elections, while also lessening the tearing up of the national social fabric, which happens as a result of elections”, a statement from the LGA reads, as reported by local media Haveeru.

The statement further said that the funds spent on councils cannot be used productively unless the councils are developed and strengthened. The authority said the proposed amendments to the Decentralisation Act  will assist in cutting costs.

The Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA) has meanwhile recommended combining presidential, parliamentary and local council elections in order to reduce state expenditure and improve governance.

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Albino turtle stolen from Sri Lanka was to be used for “black magic on a Maldivian politician”

A Sri Lankan residing in Maldives offered more than US$ 26,000 to buy an albino turtle to use it in a black magic ritual on a Maldivian politician, popular Sri Lankan singer Amal Perera has told Sri Lankan Police.

The rare albino turtle had disappeared from the Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Sanctuary on December 18. According to Sri Lankan media, the police questioned Perera for three hours after the sanctuary’s owner alleged Perera’s involvement in the turtle’s disappearance.

‘Ceylon Today‘ quotes Perera as saying: “I went to the Kosgoda Sea Turtle Conservation Sanctuary in July with a person called ‘Supun’ who had come to the country representing a Maldivian national.”

Amal denied any involvement in the turtle’s disappearance and said there was no exchange of money during the July visit.

Police are now looking for Supun who is believed to be in Sri Lanka at present. Sri Lankan Wildlife Resources Conservation Minister Vijith Vijithamuni Soyza told media last week that he believed the turtle could have been smuggled into the Maldives.

The belief and use of traditional “Fanditha” magic for various purposes – ranging from courting and divorce to sports and politics – is fairly common in the Maldivian culture. A surge in suspected use of Black magic for political reasons was witnessed  following the controversial power transfer in February 2011 and in the run up to presidential elections.

Maldives Police Service have investigated a number of cases including the case of a Black magic doll at a polling station and a cursed coconut in September 2013.

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President appoints new Financial Controller

President Abdulla Yameen has on Saturday appointed Khadheeja Hussain as the new Financial Controller.

The Financial Controller’s post is equivalent to that of a deputy minister. Khadheeja most recently held the position of Internal Auditor at the Parliament. Local media reports that she has years of experience in the financial sector.

Khadheeja was appointed to the post after the former Financial Controller Ahmed Mohamed – who has served in the post in the past three administrations under Presidents Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Mohamed Nasheed and Mohamed Waheed Hassan – was removed from his post on November 19, two days after President Yameen was sworn in.

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Public Accounts Committee considers conducting “special audit” of state companies

Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee is to deliberate on conducting “special audits” of all state share-owned public companies. The committee has scheduled debates on the matter for Sunday.

According to the Committee’s Chair Abdulla Jabir, the objectives are to have all state companies operating under the same umbrella group and to find means of liquidating companies that fail to make profit.

“We proposed the audit to bring down costs and strengthen the management of public companies. Members of the committee believe that the audit should study company performances in the past five years,” Jabir is quoted as saying in local media.

“We will be looking into whether there is a feasible way of conducting a “special audit” of such companies. Today, state companies need to be restructured and rebranded. We want to liquidate all companies that do not make any profit, and to place all other companies under a holding company that will then be established,” he continued.

Public Accounts Committee has further decided to summon Auditor General Niyaz Ibrahim and Attorney General Mohamed Anil to Sunday’s meeting.

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