The ruling party’s election success in population hubs across the country gave “a clear indication of the current political situation”, President Mohamed Nasheed said during a party rally at the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s Haruge.
“The government received huge support in some of the small populations. We need to consider the results of the election in several ways. This election is not about the amount of seats,” Haveeru reported Nasheed as saying.
“If we are able to do it [win elections] blindfolded I don’t see any reason why I can’t contest in 2013. It’s fortunate that the constitution limits the presidential terms to two,” he added in an apparent attempt to bait the opposition, today troubled by factional infighting.
According to Haveeru a jubilant Nasheed also criticised the campaigns of the opposition parties, as well as coalition party Adhaalath, saying he was “surprised that I couldn’t see anyone voting for Adhaalath Party except from Kinolhas (Raa Atoll). I did not see any party carrying out a good campaign except the MDP.”
The DRP has claimed victory in the local council elections citing a seat majority of 502 across island and atoll councils, to the MDP’s 375. The MDP has claimed victory because it won almost all the population hubs in the country, which could swing the popular vote in its favour.
The Elections Commission said this morning that it was still calculating the popular vote, which will give a percentage figure of support for each party.
This will provide a clearer indication of the election result than seat count or raw ballots, both because of the divide in DRP votes due to an ongoing factional split, and the ‘multiple’ votes made for island and atoll councils.
One senior figure in the MDP said the party’s preliminary calculations had pegged the result somewhere between 45-50% for the MDP and low 40s for the opposition – which would be a significant jump in support for the ruling party following the parliamentary election. However the source said the figure would be difficult to calculate with any accuracy until the Elections Commission provided voter turnout data.
Leader of the Labour Party Ahmed ‘Redwave’ Saleem, an MDP coalition partner, has meanwhile been quoted from a press statement as calling for Nasheed to resign from office and “hand over the presidency to a more qualified and responsible person.”
Saleem contends that the government misused state assets to conduct its campaign in the lead-up to the Local Council Elections, which saw President Nasheed visiting over 100 islands and giving 130 speeches.
The President’s Press Secretary Mohamed Zuhair told Haveeru yesterday that the President had worn through three pairs of shoes during the campaign, and was now on a four-day break.
Opposition leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali meanwhile told Minivan News yesterday that the priority was to ensure that successful candidates from all sides were aware of their new responsbilities.
“It is a fact that candidates from many parties including ours may not be clear on their responsibilities and mandates,” Thasmeen said.
“We don’t have any details on when the local councils will begin their work, and there are many issues that need to be finalised. For example, how will these councils interact with the government?”
Parties across the political spectrum would be required to provide “support structures” such as technical training to try prepare individual council members for decentralised governance, he added.
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Thasmeen seems to be maturing as a politician, with the factional break in DRP. Nice to see...finally we might have the democracy we long for in the Maldives
Gayoom was wearing Converse All Stars sneakers through the entire campaign to signal a youthful return to politics. Gayoom won the islands with the larger Jinni populations where citizens largely rely on the occult in the absence of education, healthcare and common sense.
MDP nor DRP should be celebrating the win.This is their very first cruise with thousand of passengers on board for a good destination.From a very small mistake both boats may run on to a reef and will get destroyed by aggressive waves of mass ocean.
This is time to make up you minds and have fruitful plan for the next three years.to have same passengers on board to support you.Remember only three years left.Public will judge you.they will monitor every single step you take.If fail to deliver what you have promised.The result is very transparent.You all Will loose everything you have earned and gained.So we do advice to try everyones level best and plan to exceed the expectation of the public.It is not an easy task.
I do hope all the parties and candidate will work together as a team and show their fellow islanders that they came for good.They can change the old way of doing things into a new way,which is more effective and more achievable.Days for Katheebs (island Chiefs)are gone forever.They did work only for the former dictator not for the people.Most of those will support Dictator as they have lost all their power and the easy money the used earn.but slowly it will fade and will disappear form our society.Those previous powers cannot digest whats happening now.But please do not bother about those people and move forward with our nation.
Anni/Thasmeen or Thasmeen/Anni have won this for democracy! One takes seats and the other takes masses. Gayyoom, Yameeen plus other sort of extremists or their little insects who are trying a last gasp at being noticed, doesn't even know where it hit them!
hahahaa!!!!
Please MV, the president is not gloating. There has been so much incorrect reporting declaring a defeat for the MDP he is correctly rallying his troops. The fact is they have probably performed very well in terms of the overall percentage. Easy on the choice of language please! They deserve to celebrate. This is mid term which is the hardest period for any new government. The country could have taken the chance to taste democracy and spit it out, but they did not! The future is optimistic for democracy and the ruling party and for Mr Nasheed. All this without lies and, corruption and in fighting! There is so much dishonesty and hatred in the opposition that they can not even live with themselves.
I don’t see how MDP could claim they got more popular votes as 68% of their candidates got rejected by the people and 30% of DRP.
It was never counted as a popular vote.