Category: Politics

Political instability is key concern at Maldives renewable energy investment conference

Participants attending this week’s Maldives International Renewable Energy Investors Conference consider the event a “good beginning”, but claimed political instability was presently hampering foreign investors’ confidence in the sector.

The two day event, which concluded yesterday (June 17), aimed to facilitate long-term partnerships between international investors, project developers, energy companies and utilities groups in order to enable successful renewable energy projects throughout the Maldives.

The Ministry of Environment and Energy hosted conference at Bandos Island Resort and Spa in an effort to boost investor confidence and attract renewable energy financing.

Although Environment Minister Dr Mariyam Shakeela noted that the conference was successful, she also urged participants to “reflect on our mutual needs” and emphasised that investments will be “protected, facilitated, and supported by the government” during her concluding speech yesterday.

“Your need to promote your [renewable energy] products and our need to reduce energy costs – that of course is a huge issue as was mentioned here so many times – and also of course to combat climate change,” said Shakeela.

“We currently rely extensively on imported fossil fuels, as we have heard here over and over and over again these last few days. Yet paradoxically, many islands have ample but underutilized renewable energy resource potential,” she continued.

“The Ministry of Finance and Treasury is working to create an enabling environment for investments in general, which I believe is a concern of a lot of investors,” she added.

Meanwhile, Maldives-based representatives from the World Bank (WB) and Asian Development Bank (ADB) present at the conference pledged their continued support in an effort to attract renewable energy investors.

ADB Director Mr Yongping Zhai pledged to “go as far as it costs” to transform Maldives into a renewable energy dependent country, as opposed to oil dependent, according to the Environment Ministry.

However, he noted that although the Maldives has the commitment, market potential, resources, and willing investors for renewable energy, there is a “missing link to put these pieces together”.

“In theory things should work, but why things are not working so far is [the lack of] the right business model,” said Zhai. “That’s the purpose of this conference and of the ADB’s work.”

The WB considered the conference to be a “good initial first information gathering” event for facilitating renewable energy investments and emphasized that it was working very closely with the Maldives government to develop the energy sector and national financial institutions, said WB Senior Energy Specialist Abdulaziz Faghi.

In an effort to boost investor confidence, the Environment Ministry emphasised the WB would guarantee any investments made in the Maldives.

“One of the issues facing the private sector investing in any sector is the payment guarantee and their concern with the return on investment,” State Minister for Environment and Energy Abdul Matheen Mohamed told Minivan News yesterday.

He explained that the government of Maldives has allocated US$5 million from the International Development Association (IDA) financing though the World Bank, which will be leveraged up to US$ 25 million.

“So basically the World Bank will be issuing a guarantee for this amount to give guarantees to the investors investing [funds] under the scaling-up renewable energy program (SREP) investment plan,” said Matheen.

He noted that conference participants concerns have “been resolved though the guarantee facilities introduced by the World Bank”.

Foreign investors lacking

Following the conference yesterday, Renewable Energy Maldives Managing Director Dr Ibrahim Nashid told Minivan News that he believed banks and foreign investors crucial to revitalising the national energy “didn’t turn up” at the event.

“The main idea was to bring investors here, but I don’t think that has happened,” said Nashid.

He explained that while Maldives-based institutional representatives from the WB, ADB, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and various other Maldivian institutions attended the conference, individuals with authority to authorize lending and/or donor funds were not present.

“Basically there wasn’t any financial institution that could give the finance or lend the money,” said Nashid. “No international banks came and what is very noticeable there wasn’t Indian investors. Not a single Indian company was represented.”

“ADB was saying they have earmarked funds for the Maldives, but their idea was also to leverage that with some other lending institution and that was not there,” he added.

Nashid noted that none of the Maldivian banks were present at the conference.

“The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) was there, but not the Islamic Bank in Male’, even the Bank of Maldives didn’t attend,” said Nashid.

“It shows the confidence that everybody has, [which is] the reason the World Bank is talking about giving a bank guarantee,” he continued.

Although Minister Shakeela was asked many times about what the government would do to guarantee investments “she skirted the question saying the ADB and WB is giving the guarantee,” according to Nashid.

“That was not the issue, the issue is what happens to our investments,” he said. “The GMR case is very very open and obvious to everyone. The issue of political instability was very much skirted, [but] everybody knew.”

Nashid claimed that most conference participants who discussed renewable energy investments said a decision would not happen until after the presidential election scheduled for September.

“We need political stability here, without political stability I don’t think any project is going to take off,” said Nashid.

“We can do the preparation of paperwork, etc. but money will not be put on the table. That’s the message we get from abroad,” he added.

These sentiments were echoed by conference participants representing various private sector businesses.

“It was a good start, but this is really just a beginning. There were not very many investors present,” an infrastructure company representative told Minivan News on condition of anonymity.

“The three things investors are looking for are credibility, stability, and return on the investment,” a telecommunications company representative told Minivan News on condition of anonymity.

The source explained that political instability was the main concern preventing investors from committing to renewable energy development. He also agreed with another conference participant’s observation that political instability in the Maldives was the ‘elephant in the room’ at the event.

“There were very few investors present, which is not surprising. No one is going to be eager to invest [in developing renewable energy] until after elections,” he added.

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Political parties condemn escalation of ‘paint war’ as capital temporarily turned pink and yellow

The government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has warned of an escalation in the so-called ‘paint war’ between rival political supporters in the capital unless authorities can address the practice of painting buildings, walls and even plant-life in party colours.

Supporters of the PPM have been accused this week of covering state property and government buildings, such as walls outside the new Supreme Court compound in Male’, in the party’s official colour of pink.

However, PPM MP Ahmed Nihan today condemned the practice, requesting that any supporters or “sympathisers” of political parties in the country refrain from painting public property in any political colour.

Unless the Male’ City Council (MCC), the police and the Elections Commission (EC) did more to prevent the painting of public property in pink, yellow and other political colours, the issue could become increasingly problematic ahead of September’s presidential election, Nihan told Minivan News.

The ‘paint war’ has seen “sympathisers” and supporters of both the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the PPM accused of daubing walls and buildings in their respective party colours of yellow and pink in the Henveiru ward of Male’.

In recent days, the painting has expanded to other areas of the capital, although authorities have in some cases worked to restore affected structures, specifically government buildings, to their original colour.

A group of women recently painted the walls of the Henveiru stadium in the MDP’s yellow after PPM supporters painted a large section of the low walls dark pink, according to local media.

The PPM’s official colour was also painted on the walls of a compound in Sosun Magu designated for a new Supreme Court building, as well as on the walls at the artificial beach area of Male’.

However, on Saturday (June 15), a group of MDP supporters painted over the pink and turned a section of the artificial beach wall in front of the State Bank of India back to yellow.

Following the incident, the MDP urged its members, well-wishers and supporters, as well as members of rival parties to “immediately cease” painting party colours on public property.

PPM MP Nihan however has accused the opposition party’s supporters of instigating the painting throughout Male’ by covering entire areas of the capital such as its Usfasdgandu protest camp in yellow, leading to reprisals from rival supporters.

He said that with MCC having provided the MDP with its own campaign ground and protest camp in the form of Usfasgandu, rival parties had grown concerned they had not been provided with the same opportunities from the council.

Nihan alleged that it was a sense of disparity that had seen a surge in the painting of political party colours.

He also criticized the MDP for further exacerbating the situation in recent weeks, taking the example of an incident outside PPM Presidential candidate Abdullah Yameen’s campaign office in Male’. After the office was established, MDP supporters were accused of painting an area of land opposite in yellow and decorating it in flags.

PPM “sympathisers” soon retaliated by painting the surrounding area in the party’s own pink colour, according to Nihan.

Rather than being just a matter of graffiti, he expressed concern that attempts to cover walls and property throughout the country in different political colours could escalate political tensions into violence between rival supporters if unchecked.

Despite these concerns, Nihan added that covering buildings and structures in party colours was nothing new for the Maldives, with similar activities being conducted across the country’s inhabited islands ahead of the 2008 presidential election.

While pink and yellow are the predominant colours presently seen in Male’, he said that five years ago “every corner” in the country was painted yellow or blue to reflect support either for the MDP or the government-aligned Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) – then headed by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.

Despite having previously founded the DRP, Gayoom later left the party, taking a faction of its supporters with him to form the PPM back in 2011 following a war of words with current Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.

On the back of current concerns about the capital being painted in political colours, Nihan ultimately accused the MCC of turning a “blind eye” to the escalation of the so-called ‘paint wars’ between his party and the opposition.

He therefore requested that the MCC, in which the MDP has a majority, take proper action to prevent any further state buildings like the country’s courts from being painted.

“Male’ is only a small place, yet the MCC use their hall as a campaign post for the MDP,” he said. “The Decentralisation Act requires the council to keep the entire city clean.  The police have to stop [property being painted in political colours] from happening and the MCC must assist them.  In America, you wouldn’t see people painting over the White House in different colours.”

While the majority of political painting in the capital over the last week had been in the colours of the PPM and MDP, Nihan also accused President Mohamed Waheed of purposefully using white to cover buildings and pubic property painted by rival parties as part of his own campaign efforts ahead of the election.

The official colour of President Waheed’s party is registered as green.

MCC Mayor Ali Manik told Minivan News today that he had issued a warning to all political parties that it was illegal for them to post promotional material or paint on government property.  He added that ahead of the election, all political stakeholders wishing to win over the public should also be wary of breaking such laws.

However, Manik said that it was not the council’s responsibility to clean the affected areas, adding that the political parties would be required to take responsibility for areas that had been re-coloured against the law.

A spokesperson for the Maldives Police Service (MPS) said that while officers had begun a clean-up program targeting graffiti suspected of being created by gangs, the painting of public property in party colours was not within its mandate.

Responding to Nihan’s allegations that the country’s only opposition party had an unfair campaign advantage in Male’, MDP MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor claimed that the MDP had been leased Usfasgandu by the MCC after requesting land for political purposes.

He therefore questioned why other parties had not in turn requested similar arrangements from the council, adding that he could see no justification for what he alleged had been PPM supporters painting the walls of government buildings pink in response to the MDP’s campaigning.

The party meanwhile said in a statement on Sunday (June 16) that the Male’ City Council had shared concerns of party colours being painted on walls of government-owned buildings and facilities.

“We note that painting party colours on the walls of buildings of the government and other institutions is prohibited by the Elections Commission’s regulations and that painting party colours, sticking posters, logos and banners as well as any expression involving a political party on public property has been prohibited,” the MDP press release stated.

The party advised supporters to paint walls or put up banners and posters on the walls of their own residences as part of the re-election campaign of former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Government concerns

Despite clean up efforts going on across the capital, the government of President Mohamed Waheed today also expressed concern over public property and state buildings being painted.

While the public and political parties were free to decorate their own property how they liked, the government requested that people refrain from painting public areas in political colours, said President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad.

“People are free to do this in their homes or on party property, but we wish for government institutions and buildings to be kept free of these colours,” he said. “I do not really think this is politically helpful to any party and simply alienates people not interested in politics.”

Masood added that from the perspective of President Waheed’s own Gaumee Ihthihad Party (GIP), there was no intention to begin painting walls and state property in its official colour of green.

Masood argued that the main concern about a rise in painting of political colours was the eventual cost to public finances, adding that the Supreme Court has decided to yesterday paint walls outside the compound designated for a new Supreme Court building public grey.

“Yesterday, independent of the government, the Supreme court decided it waned to change the colours of the walls outside the complex which I believe had been recently painted pink or purple,” he said.

“The cost incurred to do this as a result of the misjudgment by some member of the public will have to be paid from state funds.”

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CSC Chair Fahmy will not resign from post “out of fear”

Civil Service Commission (CSC) Chair Mohamed Fahmy Hassan has said he will only resign from his post when the time is right and not as a result of intimidation or fear, dismissing a parliamentary no-confidence vote passed against him last year.

Speaking in local media this week, the CSC chair contended that he remained in his post legally with the backing of President Dr Mohamed Waheed.

Parliament voted to dismiss Fahmy from his CSC post in November 2012 in a no-confidence vote following an inquiry by the Independent Institutions Committee into allegations he sexually harassed a CSC employee.

Both Fahmy and the alleged victim were summoned to the committee after the complaint was lodged in the first week of June.

Fahmy was alleged to have called the female staff member over to him, before asking her to take his hand and stand in front of him so that others in the office could not see, and caressed her stomach. He was than accused of saying, “It won’t do for a beautiful single woman like you to get fat.”

MPs voted 38-32 to approve the committee’s recommendation to remove Fahmy from the post.

However, in March this year, the Supreme Court ruled that parliament’s decision to remove him from the CSC was unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court declared by a 6-1 majority that Fahmy would receive two punishments for the same crime if he was convicted in court following his dismissal by parliament (double jeopardy).

The apex court contended that the Independent Institutions Committee violated due process and principles of criminal justice procedure in dealing with the accused.

In an interview to local media outlet Channel News Maldives (CNM) today, Fahmy referred to the Supreme Court decision that overruled his parliamentary impeachment, saying it was everyone’s responsibility to uphold Court rulings.

“Everyone will have to uphold the rule of law and the decisions made by the courts of law. Whether it is the president or me or anybody, it has to be that way,” he was quoted as saying.

Fahmy also said that President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan himself has shown his support for him remaining as the CSC Chair by asking him to make a decision on his own capacity.

Fahmy had previously stated that he would only make a decision on whether to continue being part of CSC after President Waheed made a decision on the issue, noting that it was the president who had given him the letter of appointment.

President Waheed speaking on the issue to local media previously said it was “very complicated” for him to make a decision about Fahmy and suggested that it “would be best” for Fahmy to decide on his own.

Waheed said that two state powers, the legislature and the judiciary were in dispute over the matter and at such a complicated time, “Even individuals must help in resolving conflicts peacefully”.

“Always doing something that puts the President or the government in a trap is not a very good thing. I think the best thing to do at this time is let Fahmy take the initiative and decide on the matter. That is my position,” he said.

However, both former Attorney General Azima Shukoor and her successor Aishath Bisham have told media that President Waheed was advised against reinstating Fahmy in the post.

Both attorneys general argued that despite the Supreme Court ruling that Fahmy’s removal by parliament was unconstitutional, the apex court had not ordered his reinstatement.

Speaker’s warnings

Meanwhile, Speaker of Parliament Abdulla Shahid sent out a strong warning to Chair of Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Adam Mohamed informing the Supreme Court Justice that he would boycott the commission’s meetings should Fahmy continue to attend meetings of the judicial oversight commission.

Shahid’s warning came shortly after Attorney General Aishath Bisham conceded during a meeting with Parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee (EOC) that any JSC meetings with Fahmy present would not be legally valid.

In response to a question by the committee chair, opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ali Waheed, Bisham insisted that Mohamed Fahmy Hassan would not have to be reinstated.

In a letter sent at the time, Speaker of Parliament Shahid – who is an ex-officio member of JSC – stressed that even though the chair of CSC is also by virtue of his position a member of JSC, Fahmy cannot sit on commission because he had been dismissed from his position by parliament.

He added the parliament had informed President Waheed about its decision.

“In that letter, when the parliament came to the decision [to remove Fahmy], then-Attorney General Aishath Azima Shukoor and current Attorney General Aishath Bisham stated that Mohamed Fahmy Hassan could not sit in JSC as the President of CSC as that position had become vacant with the parliament’s decision.”

“The Attorney General Aishath Bisham had also said that JSC meetings attended by Fahmy cannot be deemed legal, during the 46th committee meeting of parliament’s executive oversight committee on June 4, 2013,” Shahid wrote.

Therefore, Shahid said he would not take part in any meetings attended by Fahmy.

The parliament has meanwhile invited interested candidates to apply for the “vacant” position of CSC President.

President Waheed however maintained that, prior to any appointments to the commission, the parliament should discuss the matter with the Supreme Court to avoid any further conflict.

Fahmy was not responding to calls from Minivan News at time of press.

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President Waheed removes ‘Reynis’ Saleem from JSC

The government has today dismissed Mohamed ‘Reynis’ Saleem from his role as the president’s member to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) over allegations he commissioned gangs to retrieve money owed to him.

An official from JSC –  the judicial watchdog institution – confirmed receiving a letter from President’s Office informing the commission of Saleem’s removal from the oversight body.

In May, Saleem was summoned to the police for questioning over allegations he had used gangs. Police have now concluded the investigation and sent Saleem’s case to the Prosecutor General’s Office for prosecution.

Newspaper Haveeru reported last week that attempts made by police to arrest Saleem stalled after the Criminal Court refused to grant an arrest warrant.

An appeal by the police following the denial also failed after the High Court backed the Criminal Court’s decision to deny the arrest warrant.

Saleem has meanwhile denied allegations of wrongdoing, claiming in local media that he had not resorted to illegal means in retrieving money owed to him.

A police media official told Minivan News that no further details could be provided on the case at present as investigations were ongoing.

According to local media, the President’s Office stated that the decision to remove Saleem from the JSC had been prompted by the potential criminal prosecution expected to follow as a result of the police investigation.

Saleem was appointed to the JSC after President Mohamed Waheed took office in February 2012 following former President Mohamed Nasheed’s controversial resignation amidst a violent mutiny by elements of the police and military.

Apart from the President’s appointee to the JSC, the commission is comprised of the Attorney General, the Speaker of Parliament, a representative from the Parliament, a representative from the High Court, a representative from the Supreme Court, a representative from the lower courts, Chair of Civil Service Commission, a representative from the public appointed by parliament and a representative from registered lawyers in the country.

Saleem has also been accused of having close ties with aides of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and his family.

Saleem was also the defence counsel of Deputy Speaker of Parliament Ahmed Nazim – a member of Gayoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) – in criminal cases concerning an alleged scam to defraud the now-defunct Ministry of Atolls Development.

Earlier this week, the High Court concluded hearing witness statements in the state’s appeal of a Criminal Court decision to acquit Nazim on charges of corruption.

Nazim stands accused of receiving more than US$400,000 through fraudulent transactions made by a company he was found to own.

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Male’ City Council, MDP deny receiving notice to clear Usfasgandu site by June 27

Male’ City Council (MCC) has denied receiving any notice from the Housing Ministry requesting it hand over the Usfasgandu grounds, which it continues to lease to the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) for campaign activities and rallies.

Male’ Mayor Ali Manik said this evening that despite hearing rumours Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muiz had given the council ten days from tomorrow (June 18) to clear and hand over the plot of land, he had not received any information on the matter from the government.

“I can’t say anything about something that I haven’t even received.” he told Minivan News. “The only things I have heard on the issue have been from the lips of other people.”

Housing Minister Dr Mohamed Muiz however told Sun Online today that a notice had been sent to the MCC today for them to clear and vacate the area by June 27 – or else police would be requested to assist in clearing the area.

The housing minister was quoted as saying that the state would not be taking responsibility for any damage caused to items of equipment left on the site after the requested handover date.

Dr Mohamed Muiz also told local media today that the MCC had previously been sent a notice on February 25 requesting it hand over Usfasgandu to his ministry within seven days, a request that was not made following a court ruling.

The ministry sent the notice in February just a day after the High Court overturned a Civil Court ruling backing the government’s order that the land be handed over to state authorities.

The High Court claimed at the time that the lower court had not followed legal procedures in the case.

Usfasgandu was handed back to the MDP by the MCC in March of this year. The council claimed at the time that no other party had requested use of the land at the time.

Muiz was not responding to calls from Minivan News at time of press.

MDP claims intimidation

MDP MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said today that the party had not received any official notice from the housing ministry regarding calls to clear the site within ten days.

He alleged that the reports of the Housing Ministry seeking to reclaim Usfasgandu reflected an attempt by the state to intimidate political rivals such as the MDP and its supporters ahead of an election in an attempt to destabilise the country ahead of September’s presidential election.

Ghafoor refused to speculate at present on whether the MDP would hand back the land should an official request be received.

He responded that authorities had previously sought to take Usfasgandu back from the MDP in the past, but had been unsuccessful due to what he claimed was “public pressure”.

“Our thinking is this is not a valid government, it therefore has no authority and this is why we are advocating in parliament for a transitional government ahead of the election,” he said. “Otherwise, how can we go through an election like this.”

A media official for the Maldives Police Service (MPS) told Minivan News that it had received no request or notice from the Housing Ministry for assistance in clearing the site.

Male’ City Council leased the Usfasgandu area to the ousted ruling party in March 2012, prompting repeated attempts by the government to reclaim the area on the grounds it was being used for criminal activity, including the practice of black magic.

The MDP had moved to the area after a previous protest camp at the tsunami monument was dismantled and completely repainted by police and military on March 19, 2012.

On May 29,2012, police raided the Usfasgandu site after obtaining a search warrant from the Criminal Court, ordering the MDP to vacate the area. The Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) then began dismantling the protest camp.

The Housing Ministry filed a case with the Civil Court after the MCC refused to hand the land plot to the ministry.

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Jumhoree Party Leader Gasim Ibrahim confident of securing presidential election in first round

Business tycoon and leader of the government-aligned Jumhoree Party (JP), MP Gasim Ibrahim, has expressed confidence he will win the upcoming presidential election in the first round of voting.

Speaking at a rally in the party’s Male’ headquarters yesterday (June 16), Gasim was quoted in local media as claiming that he was well placed to become the Maldives’ next president based on a recent spike in the JP’s membership.

According to the latest statistics from the Elections Commission (EC), the JP’s current membership stands at 12,154 members (five percent of eligible voters) with a further 1,374 membership forms pending approval.

The JP, a member of President Dr Mohamed Waheed’s coalition government, recently announced that it would decide whether to contest the election alone or within a coalition after the conclusion of its national conference later this month.

However with the party expected to officially unveil its leader during the congress, MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla said the JP anticipated fielding its own candidate during the election.

“What I will say is that our articles and regulations state that our leader has to run as a presidential candidate. We have to run for the seat on our own,” he said last week.

Raheem added that the party did nonetheless have criteria under which it would look to join a coalition.

Speaking last night, Gasim predicted a growing number of MPs would join his party and unite behind him in order to back a candidate he claimed could steer the country from corruption.

“[That leader] is Gasim Ibrahim,” he said.

Gasim is also the chairman of the Villa Group, which owns resorts, shipping lines, electronic stores and a cement packing factory in the Maldives. Gasim also owns private broadcaster Villa Television (VTV), and is a member of the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).

The MP for Maamigili claimed a surge in his party membership suggested that people were now thinking about what was best for the country and which party offered the best solution to the nation’s woes.

Gasim maintained that the public ultimately did not wish to elect a leader who would defy them, claiming instead that they wanted an experienced person capable of running the country.

“Even a fishing vessel must be handed over to a good captain,” he stressed.

Gasim claimed that with his wealth he had provided education for a lot of students, as well as covered medical expenses for a number of citizens.

If elected president in September, Gasim pledged to continue providing further help to the people, something he claimed the public were already aware of.

JP Spokesperson Moosa Rameez was not responding to calls at time of press regarding the comments.

The election is set to take place on September 7, and the Elections Commission (EC) has announced that a total of 241,000 people will be able to cast their vote in the second multi-party presidential vote to be held in the country since ratification of the 2008 constitution.

Two major political parties in the country – the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) – have so far announced their intentions to field candidates.

Incumbent President Dr Mohamed Waheed has also announced his intention to stand, backed by a coalition including his own Gaumee Iththihaadh Party (GIP), the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) and religious conservative Adhaalath Party (AP).

The opposition MDP is fielding former President Mohamed Nasheed, who controversially resigned from office following a violent mutiny by sections of the police and military on February 7, 2012.

Both Nasheed and his party continue to allege his government was toppled in a bloodless coup d’etat, accusations that were later rejected by a Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI).

The PPM will meanwhile be fielding former President Gayoom’s half-brother, MP Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, as its presidential candidate. Yameen secured the party’s ticket after a fierce presidential primary against former PPM activist Umar Naseer. Naseer was later dismissed from the party after making accusing Yameen vote rigging in the primary.

First round claims

Election rules dictate that a candidate must secure over 50 percent of the popular vote to secure the presidency in the first round. Should no candidate secure a simple majority, a run-off second round election is then required to be held 20 days later between the top two candidates.

Former President Nasheed, who commands the single largest political support base in the country in terms of party membership, has previously predicted that he would win the election within the first round with a 57 percent popular vote. The party claims to have been pledged 125,000 votes already – 52 percent of total eligible voters, or almost 60 percent of the first round assuming an 85 percent voter turnout (as the figure stood in 2008, another ‘high stakes’ election).

Former DRP Spokesperson Ibrahim Shareef said the party, which is backing President Waheed in the election, did not believe there was a single party in the country capable of securing an outright win in September.

“No party in the country will get more than 35 percent of the vote during the first round, even the MDP which remains the biggest single party,” he said last month.

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Civil Court dismisses case submitted by High Court chief judge against the JSC

The Civil Court has today dismissed a case submitted by Chief Judge of the High Court Ahmed Shareef to overturn his indefinite suspension by the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

The case was dismissed by Civil Court Judge Hathif Hilmy after the claimant did not attend a hearing scheduled for today, while also failing to provide any reasonable grounds for his absence.

The Civil Court said that the hearing was scheduled for 1:00pm.

Judge Ahmed Shareef was suspended on the same day that the High Court cancelled a hearing of a case involving former President Mohamed Nasheed.

The hearing was scheduled to decide on procedural issues raised by the JSC contending that the High Court did not have the jurisdiction to hear the case, which involved the legitimacy of a panel of judges appointed by the commission to preside over the former president’s trial at the Hulhumale’ Magistrate Court.

Shortly after the cancellation, the JSC declared that the commission had indefinitely suspended Shareef.

He was the presiding judge in former President Nasheed’s case against the JSC.

JSC Chair and Supreme Court Justice Adam Mohamed Abdulla insisted at a press conference later that day that the disciplinary action had no relation to the former president’s case.

The JSC then announced it had appointed Judge Abdul Rauoof Ibrahim as acting Chief Judge of High Court until the conclusion of its inquiry into complaints filed against the suspended chief judge.

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Civil Court freezes accounts, holds passport of DRP Leader Thasmeen

The Civil Court has issued a court order today freezing the bank accounts and holding the passport of Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) Leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali over a case filed by Deputy Speaker Ahmed Nazim to recover an unpaid debt of MVR 1.92 million (US$124,513).

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Nazim filed the case requesting enforcement of a Civil Court verdict in April 2011 – upheld by the High Court in April 2013 – ordering the recently appointed running mate of President Dr Mohamed Waheed to settle the debt.

A Civil Court media official explained to Minivan News that freezing accounts and holding passports were the normal procedure to follow in cases of decreed debt.

The media official confirmed that the Civil Court has issued the court order to both freeze Thasmeen’s bank accounts and hold his passport following today’s hearing.

Thasmeen’s lawyer reportedly said that his client was preparing to appeal the High Court ruling at the Supreme Court. The judge however replied that the civil case would proceed until such a time when the Supreme Court decides to hear the appeal.

MP Nazim sued Thasmeen in March 2011 to recover MVR 1.92 million (US$124,513) unpaid from a loan worth MVR 2.55 million (US$200,000). After the Civil Court ruled in favour of Nazim, Thasmeen appealed the judgment at the High Court in June 2011.

At the time the case was filed at the Civil Court, Thasmeen’s DRP was in a formal coalition with the minority opposition People’s Alliance (PA) led by Nazim and current PPM presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen.

The DRP-PA coalition agreement was severed in July 2011 amidst internal strife within the then-main opposition party, which saw a breakaway faction loyal to former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom leaving the party to form PPM in October 2011.

Following an acrimonious war of words between then-DRP ‘Honorary Leader’ Gayoom and his successor Thasmeen, the former president withdrew his endorsement of the DRP presidential candidate in March 2011.

Meanwhile, at the final hearing of the Civil Court case in April 2011, Thasmeen’s lawyer reportedly claimed that Nazim agreed to sell Shaviyani Kabalifaru, which was leased for development as a resort in 2005, to raise funds to cover the MVR 2.55 million loan.

Thasmeen’s lawyer denied that an agreement was made between the pair to pay back the loan in a month, claiming that Nazim failed to find a buyer for Kabalifaru as agreed upon in November 2008.

The lawyer also denied Nazim’s claim that the loan was taken to pay back Thasmeen’s debts at the Bank of Maldives.

However, Nazim’s lawyer, Mohamed ‘Reynis’ Saleem – currently President Waheed’s member on the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) – disputed both claims, demanding documentation to prove that Thasmeen gave power of attorney to Nazim to sell the resort.

At a previous hearing, Nazim’s lawyer had produced a document with Thasmeen’s signature, prompting Judge Hathif Hilmy to observe that the purported loan agreement had a reference number and that it was therefore reasonable to expect Thasmeen to be aware of the details of the amount in question.

Article 73(c) of the constitution states, “A person shall be disqualified from election as, a member of the People’s Majlis, or a member of the People’s Majlis immediately becomes disqualified, if he has a decreed debt which is not being paid as provided in the judgment.”

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Elections Commission delays publishing amended voter registry

The Elections Commission (EC) has said it has been forced to delay the publication of an amended voter registry for September’s presidential election as a result of the number of complaints filed by the public.

The amended list of voters was originally due to have been published today in the government gazette.

EC Vice President Ahmed Fayaz said that despite the delay, the commission was in “full swing” with its preparations for the presidential election scheduled for September 7. He added that the commission was presently working to address a number of concerns, including assuring that the legitimate electorate were not deprived of their right to vote due to preventable issues.

According to the latest EC records, the electorate presently consists of 240,302 individuals – 31,008 more voters than the number of participants in the 2008 presidential election.

The statistics indicate that 123,565 males and 116,737 females are presently eligible to vote on September 7.

Voter registry to be “hopefully complete by week’s end”

Thaufeeq informed local media that the commission had received 2,790 complaints based on the initial voter registry, adding that verifying these complaints had proved to be highly time consuming.

“When we are verifying complaints about deceased people being listed in the voter registry, sometimes we need to actually send staff to the addresses in question to carry out verification of the claims. It’s this verification process that is taking up time,” he was quoted as saying.

Thaufeeq stated that with the commission’s staff working day and night to complete the required amendments to the voter registry, he remained hopeful that the final list would be published by the end of the week.

Thaufeeq further called on citizens and political parties to extend their cooperation in checking whether the amended list had addressed the previously lodged complaints.

“It is also very important that each individual checks the voter registry within five days after it is published to ensure that their details are correctly included in it,” he continued.

Previously, EC President Thaufeeq stated that the commission was confident the voter registry would be completed by a deadline of June 14.

He said at the time that the amendment of the voter registry had gone “better than expected”, despite challenges remaining in notifying all the complainants about the changes made to the list, as is required according to regulations.

Ballot boxes

The EC said it estimated approximately 500 ballot boxes would need to be set up for the vote on September 7.

“As per our current estimate, 495 ballot boxes will need to be set up countrywide, but that number may still increase,” Thaufeeq was quoted as telling local media.

According to the existing EC plans, 122 ballot boxes will be placed in Male’ City: 48 for citizens registered in Male’, and an additional 74 for citizens registered in other islands who live in Male’. While ballot boxes are to be placed in other inhabited islands, 55 tourist resorts will also have polling booths stationed in them.

Resorts which do not have a minimum of 50 eligible voters working in it will not have a dedicated polling booth. Instead, the Elections Commission is appealing to management of such resorts to allow staff to travel to the nearest island to place their votes.

Additionally, all jails and detention centres in the country will have ballot boxes, as well as other nations which have a minimum of 100 Maldivian citizens living in them. These countries are said to include India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and the UK.

Concerns pending solutions

EC Vice President Ahmed Fayaz has however expressed concern that the identity cards of hundreds of inmates will have expired prior to voting day.

“We have been discussing the issue with them. The renewal of identity card requires a fee to be paid, and the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Services have told us that they do not have sufficient funds to carry out ID renewals for the inmates,” Fayaz said.

“In the end, the only viable solution is for the concerned state authorities to find a solution for this,” he said.

Political parties contesting in the upcoming election have previously spoken to Minivan News about their respective concerns over registration and identity card renewal ahead of the vote.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s Membership and Campaign Committee member Ahmed Shahid spoke of such concerns, alleging that based on the current situation, “it doesn’t seem as though the state is really trying to solve the issues prior to the elections”.

“From the information we have gathered, we understand that approximately 40,000 identity cards will expire before September 7. According to the the information we have, the Department of National Registration has the capacity to issue about 350 or so cards a day. This suggests that the 40,000 people from the electorate will not all be able to get the cards renewed before the elections,” Shahid said at the time.

Earlier this month, Government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) MP Ahmed Nihan said the party was continuing to come across issues within the recently published election registry due to incorrect information and the inclusion of voters now believed to be deceased.

He said that with an estimated third of the population also having moved from their home islands to the capital in recent years, correct registration would be another vital issue in the lead up to September.

Nihan claimed the EC therefore “has a lot of work to do” in the lead up to September to ensure its database of registered voters was both up-to-date and correct.

“The government also has to try and provide the funds for the EC and also participate with international stakeholders to get the assistance to ensure elections are free and fair,” he said.

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