Tag: elections commission

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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Elections Commission confident of resolving all voter registry issues

The Maldives Elections Commission (EC) has said it remains confident it will have resolved all 2,279 complaints raised by the public over the recently published list of eligible voters, in line with today’s deadline (June 14).

EC President Fuad Thaufeeq told Minivan News that the commission’s work amending the voter registry had so far gone “better than expected”, with all submissions received from the public amended. However, he conceded that challenges still remained in notifying all the complainants about the changes made to the list, as required by regulations.

“The challenge we have experienced so far is delivering the message to all the people who made these complaints that the requested changes have been made,” he said. “It is proving a bit difficult, though our staff are working very hard, in some cases up until 10:00pm at night to get hold of them.”

Transparency Maldives has meanwhile said that it has received only one significant complaint at present regarding outdated voter registry information, adding that all other complaints raised were small and sporadic in scale. However, the NGO said it continued to advocate a simplification of the present law on making further changes to the voter registry.

Thaufeeq said the corrected voter registry will then be published on either June 15 or June 16 in the government gazette and on the EC’s own website.

“What happens next?”

According to Transparency Maldives, anyone who has registered complaints with the EC regarding data on the voter registry will have five days to file a complaint with the High Court should they wish to appeal any decision made by the commission.

Under law, the High Court is then required to rule on any such appeal within 15 days.

Upon publication by the EC of the amended voter registry, any Maldives national over 18 will then be given a further 10 days to lodge any complaints concerning changes made to the list, the NGO added.

Transparency Maldives said the final process would be voter re-registration, where members of the public will be required to confirm or change their present permanent residence either in the country or abroad to confirm where they wish to vote.

The NGO emphasised that this stage will be critically important, as a person from an outer atoll presently living in Male’ will be required to return to their home island unless they re-register their new location with the EC.

A date for voter re-registration to begin has yet to be decided by the EC.

Simplification

Transparency Maldives Project Director Aiman Rasheed said the NGO had so far received only one significant compliant about the registry, which was made by members of Fuvahmulah council concerning the amount of outdated details of islanders on the list.

“The last time we spoke to the EC we raised this issue and they had a rational explanation for what had occurred. It seemed that people who moved house on the island or left for Male’ had not been updated,” he said.

Aiman said the EC had dealt with the issues where possible, with other corrections expected to be made during the re-registration process that will be announced at a later date.

“Apart from this, there have been no major complaints beyond some small, sporadic issues,” he added.

Aiman said that with an estimated 25 percent of the population living away from their registered address in the Maldives, re-registraton was expected to be a much larger issue towards ensuring the vote to everyone in the country eligible to do so.

He argued that the NGO still believed the voter registration could be simplified by requesting the public to check their permanent address at the same time as other details on the registry.

“The argument against this has been from the section of the population employed as fishermen, as they do not know where they will be later on in the year. It was therefore easier for them to wait nearer to the election,” Aiman said. “There is a challenge there, but we still feel [voter registration] should be simplified. This is of course not the EC’s fault though, this relates to the law.”

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Eight new seats to be added to parliament for next general election: Elections Commission

Elections Commission (EC) President Fuad Thaufeeg has said parliament will be increased by an additional eight constituencies for the next election.

As a result, the country’s 18th parliament elected in 2014 will have 85 parliament members.

The Maldives currently has a unicameral parliament consisting of 77 members who were elected in May 2009, replacing the previous 50 member parliament following the ratification of the new constitution in August 2008.

In an interview given to local media outlet Sun Online, Thaufeeg said that based on population statisticss received by the commission, the capital Male’ and seven other atolls will have new seats in parliament.

He also said the commission is currently working on drawing up the new constituencies and completing necessary documents which will then be submitted to parliament for endorsement.

The new parliament composition will include an additional seat for Haa Dhaal Atoll, Noonu Atoll, Alif Dhaal atoll, Thaa Atoll, Gaaf Dhaal Atoll and Addu City, while Male’ City will have two new seats.

Thaufeeg stated that the current number of seats decided by the elections will not be changed, and the figure until the election will remain as 85.

The elections chief also said that the constituencies are currently complied based on geographic location and population density.

However, even though the total number of seats to be elected will remain at 85, Thaufeeg said that there may be alterations brought in as to how the commission would draw the constituencies.

“The commission will consult with leaders of political parties and people of the atolls. The decision will be final after the parliament endorses the changes,” Thaufeeg said.

The Elections Commission is meanwhile facilitating the presidential elections scheduled to take place on September 7.

The commission has previously said that approximately 240,302 will be eligible to cast their vote in the presidential elections – 31,008 more than the number of eligible voters in the 2008 presidential elections (209,294).

The commission will formally declare the start of campaign season in July. However all major political parties including the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), and government-aligned parties such as the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Jumhoree Party (JP), Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) and current President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s Gaumee Ithiaad Party (GIP) have already begun their presidential campaigns.

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All candidates should accept outcome of a credible election: McKinnon

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party has called for increased international assistance to help ensure a free and fair presidential election in September, alleging that the country’s political system is presently under considerable “stress”.

As the country’s sole political opposition, the MDP has criticised what it calls a “lack of decisive action” from the international community both in implementing findings from the Commonwealth-backed Commission of National Inquiry (CoNI) report, as well as providing election support.

The government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), which is also fielding a candidate in September’s election, meanwhile said it believed “a lot more has to be done” by the Elections Commission (EC) to ensure voting is free and fair.

The claims were made following Commonwealth Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Sir Donald McKinnon’s visit to the Maldives this week, as preparations get underway for the presidential vote scheduled for September 7, 2013.

In a statement released yesterday (June 5), McKinnon called for free, fair, peaceful and inclusive elections, while also highlighting the need for the public to ensure their details were correctly included on the recently gazetted electoral register.

Verification

Upon being published in the Government Gazzette last Thursday (May 30), the public has been given a 10 day window to check and clarify that people included on the list were correctly registered – or risk invalidating their right to vote.

With the conclusion of a four-day visit to the Maldives yesterday, McKinnon called on all Maldives nationals with the right to vote to take the time to verify their details were correct.

“Voter registers are at their best when the regulatory authority and the political parties work together to ensure their accuracy,” he said.

“It is also my hope that the nominated candidates of political parties will be able to contest the election, on a level playing field, so that the election outcome fully reflects the will of the voters. This will be important for the election’s credibility. I would also expect all candidates to accept the outcome of a credible election.”

Mckinnon’s statement also spoke on the importance of moving forward with recommendations raised in the CoNI report on holding “perpetrators of police brutality” during last year’s controversial transfer of power to account.

As part of his visit, McKinnon met with President Dr Mohamed Waheed to pledge the Commonwealth’s support for free and fair elections, while the government said it remained committed to fair polling and the need for unspecified political reform.

President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad was not responding to calls at time of press.

Calls for action

Speaking to Minivan News following the publication of McKinnon’s statement, MDP MP Hamid Abdul Ghafoor claimed that the party had continued to hope for stronger action from the Commonwealth during the last year to ensure implementation of the CoNI report’s findings.

The CoNI report rejected the MDP’s allegations that the government of former President Mohamed Nasheed was toppled by a “coup d’etat” on February 7, 2012, following a mutiny by sections of the country’s police and military.

The MDP eventually accepted the report last year “with reservations” concerning the alleged omission of key evidence submitted at the time.  The party claimed the decision was taken to move ahead with recommendations that members of the security forces be found investigated for “illegal acts” during the transfer be punished accordingly.

During a parliamentary inquiry by the Parliament’s Executive Oversight Committee (EOC) earlier this year, the Police Integrity Commission (PIC) claimed that actions by certain officers during the mutiny which led to the change in government were unlawful and amounted to crimes worthy of prosecution by the state.

PIC Vice President Haala Hameed said during the session that the PIC had identified 29 cases of police misconduct, out of which cases concerning six police officers had been sent to the prosecutor general (PG) for prosecution.

The PIC at the time claimed it had urged then-Home Minister Mohamed Jameel to suspend the officers immediately, however the request was not adhered to, and instead at least one of the accused was promoted.

The commission this week announced it had concluded its investigation into police conduct during the controversial transfer of power in February 2012.

Ghafoor alleged that there had since been very limited interest from the Commonwealth in following up on the CoNI recommendations, accusing senior police and military officials of preparing for September’s election in a similar manner to political parties competing in the vote.

He raised particular concern that Police Commissioner Abdulla Riyaz and Minister of Defence Colonel (Retired) Mohamed Nazim, who assumed their roles directly following the controversial transfer of power, remained in their positions ahead of the election.

Vote concerns

Although welcoming McKinnon’s comments stressing the importance of the public verifying their details were included correctly on the voter registry, Ghafoor claimed that the Commonwealth had identified only one of a number of potential electoral concerns ahead of September’s vote.

He therefore called for greater intentional assistance to ensure free and fair elections ahead of September’s polling.

“The entire political system in being put under stress now and we wait to see what assistance the Commonwealth will provide,” Ghafoor said. “Our Elections Commission is good, but they continue to be put under pressure.”

“There is a lack of decisive action, but the words are certainly there from the international community,” Hamid added.

Alongside the MDP, the government-aligned Progressive Party of Maldives and the Jumhoree Party are also expected to field candidates directly against President Waheed and a coalition of several parties backing him as their candidate during September’s election.

Speaking to Minivan News, PPM MP Ahmed Nihan said that while the party continued to work within the present coalition government under President Waheed, it held concerns about his alleged use of state funds for campaigning.

He said that despite claims made in local media by members of the president’s coalition that recent island visits had been for the benefit of the nation, the PPM viewed the trips as state-funded election campaigning by Dr Waheed’s party.

From the perspective of the EC, Nihan said that the party was also continuing to come across issues within the recently published election registry relating 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, adding that with the money spent by the state over the last three years, uncertainty remained over how smoothly voting would go.

“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.

Minivan News was also awaiting a response to the MDP’s allegations at time of press from Moosa Rameez, a spokesperson for the JP, which is headed by local business magnate and MP Gasim Ibrahim.

The President’s Office has previously rejected accusations that the government was working to exert undue influence on voters through state resources, accusing both the MDP and PPM of making allegations without any evidence.

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Department of National Registration suspends issuing ID cards, citing malfunctioning air conditioning

Staff at the Department of National Registration have refused to continue issuing national identity cards 94 days before elections, complaining of a malfunctioning air conditioning unit and “discomfort in working conditions” for the past four days.

Services were stopped abruptly at approximately 10.30am this morning, after a long queue of customers had already been issued service tokens, according to local media.

Service seekers had expressed anger at the announcement that services will no longer be available, with some reports stating that the people had demanded that services be resumed as “whatever heat the staff feel, we feel too”.

Assistant Director at the Department of National Registration Abdulla Haleem has confirmed to local media that services have been temporarily discontinued due to faulty air conditioning in the department’s service area.

He stated that staff has continued to complain about the difficulties of working “under such warm and uncomfortable circumstances” for the past couple of days.

Haleem said that the department’s failure to repair the air conditioning has led to staff refusing to serve at counters, instead resorting to “sitting in the innermost rooms of the department which has functioning air conditioning”.

Haleem further stated that staff refused to provide services despite more citizens coming to apply for national identity cards during the school holiday period, when people from the islands find it more convenient to visit the capital.

Civil Service Commission Media Official Ali Nizar stated that the commission had not received any official complaints about the matter.

“As a commission, we focus on staff interests. We believe that the department should provide appropriate working conditions for their staff,” Nizar stated.

“Unless we get a direct official complaint, we tend to not get involved in such matters,” he said.

“As far as we know, services will commence again tomorrow once the department solves the issue and provides staff with suitable conditions,” he said.

The Department of National Registration was not responding to calls at the time of press.

“It is a concern, but will one day affect elections?” : Transparency Maldives

Local NGO Transparency Maldives, which will be active in elections monitoring during the September 7 presidential elections, stated that the interruption of services is a concern, if it may affect the upcoming elections.

“If the issuing of ID cards is affected by today’s suspension of services, then it may negatively affect elections. In such an instance, the problem needs to dealt with as soon as possible,” stated Transparency Maldives’ Advocacy and Communications Manager Aiman Rasheed Ibrahim.

“It is a question whether one day of non-service will have an effect on the elections, we hope it doesn’t. We need to be extremely careful these days and if there is a chance that it may have a negative impact, then it must be addressed as soon as possible,” he said.

“Huge concern with elections just 94 days away”: contesting parties

With 94 days to the presidential elections, contesting political parties have expressed concerns that the interruption in issuing identity cards may compromise the constitutional right to vote of a large part of the electorate.

“If we get to have a free and fair election, we intend to win it in a single round. However, with the state the system is in now, it is very complicated,” said member of the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP)’s Membership and Campaign Committee, Ahmed Shahid.

“From the information we have gathered, we understand that approximately 40,000 identity cards will expire before September 7. According to 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. In a situation like this, now we have the service suspension from that department. This is a huge concern for us,” he said.

“From what we are seeing now, it doesn’t seem as though the state is really trying to solve these issues prior to elections,” Shahid alleged.

“In meetings with the Elections Commission (EC), we were told that about 1500 inmates will also be having their cards expired before election day. The Commission seemed unsure of who has to bear the responsibility for getting these cards renewed. An idea was floated that parents of inmates should take the initiative, but I don’t think that is a practical approach. The state must find a more responsible alternative,” Shahid continued.

“The EC also spoke of concerns that the department is not cooperating at its best so far, and about the reluctance to place absolute trust in them as the department is a government body. They’ve been requesting access to the department’s records in order to run a comparison with the EC’s electorate list, but said they’ve only been granted access a week ago,” he said.

“We are in an extremely sensitive situation now. With things as they are, actions like what the Department of National Registration has done today is a cause for extreme worry,” Shahid stated.

Jumhooree Party Spokesperson Moosa Ramiz also voiced concerns that the denial of a service as vital as the issuance of identity cards will lead to many voters and candidates being stripped of their constitutional rights.

“This leads to a huge loss for the citizens, as well as presidential candidates. The elections are looming close overhead, and the government is halting the issuance of IDs, which are absolutely necessary for anyone to be able to vote. Citizens are being thrust into a very sad situation,” Ramiz stated.

“The institutions which must be responsible need to attend to this immediately, even if they need to give up on all else they are doing now,” he said.

Gaumee Ihthihaadh Party (GIP) Ahmed Thaufeeq, Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) leader Ahmed Thasmeen and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Spokesperson Ahmed Mahloof were not responding to calls at the time of press.

Elections Commission President Fuad Thaufeeg and Secretary General Asim Abdul Sattar were also not responding. EC Vice President Ahmed Fayaz’s phone was switched off at the time of press.

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Police request Elections Commission make “easier voting arrangements” for officers

The Maldives Police Service has requested the Elections Commission make “easier arrangements” to vote in the upcoming presidential for police officers and suspects in custody, reports local media.

Current regulations require eligible voters to cast their vote in September’s upcoming presidential election on the island where they have registered, according to police.

However, police officers have to make urgent trips for official purposes and might lose their constitutional right to vote, the police told local media.

Additionally, suspects might be held on an island other than where they are registered, which would deprive them of their right to vote, police said.

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Presidential election regulations unveiled as rival parties slam state commitment to free and fair polls

The Elections Commission (EC) has unveiled new regulations  for the presidential election set for September 7 this year, claiming “comprehensive changes” have been made to the legal framework used five years ago.

EC Vice President Ahmed Fayaz told Minivan News that the latest regulations were drawn up with consultation from political parties and NGOs – providing more than just a “cosmetic change” to the framework used for the country’s first ever multi-party democratic elections in 2008.

Both opposition and government-aligned parties competing directly against President Dr Mohamed Waheed in September have alleged that even with new regulations in place, there were concerns that the incumbent was using state resources unconstitutionally to unfairly influence voters.

The allegations have been denied by the President’s Office, which maintains that it has done nothing to try and unfairly influence voters.

EC optimism

EC Vice President Fayaz said that despite the allegations raised by various parties this week, the commission was “very optimistic” about its ability to ensure elections were free and fair in September with the new presidential election regulations – said to have undergone drastic changes since 2008.

“The 2008 regulation was actually formatted in a rush and the EC was given about 60 days to do its work,” he said of the legal outline used for the last presidential election. “From the feedback we have received [regarding the new election regulation] nobody has said that they were bad,” he claimed.

The Regulation on the Presidential Election was published online Monday (May 20) in the Government Gazette.

Fayaz added that the EC had so far received “no formal complaints” from political parties in the country regarding concerns that September’s elections would not be free and fair.

Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP and Spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor said he had not personally had chance to review the new regulations for September’s election at present.

Undermined

Ghafoor said that despite concerns about the functioning of the country’s independent institutions, the MDP had been “comfortable” with the ongoing work of the EC.

Yet no matter how comprehensive the new elections regulation for September’s vote was, he said MDP continued to hold concerns that credible elections were being undermined by both the recent conduct of the government and the country’s police and security forces.

Ghafoor claimed that party fear’s were partly based around the recent conduct of police around the country, as well as ongoing concerns raised by both the party and independent experts over the independence of country’s judiciary, as well as its watchdog body, the Judicial Services Commission (JSC).

Meanwhile, the Maldives’ Police Service has previously denied arresting approximately 50 people – primarily MDP supporters – the night prior to President Mohamed Waheed’s arrival in Addu City on May 8.

Addu City Mayor Abdulla Sodig told Minivan News that before Waheed’s arrival, close to 50 people were arrested, “and about 90 percent of those taken in were MDP supporters”.

These arrests were made under the “’Our Peaceful Addu City” operation, which the police have said was established to make the atoll “crime free”.

Political ends

Ghafoor also leveled criticisms at President Waheed directly, accusing him of unconstitutionally spending state fund on his own campaigning, while also making development pledges not included within budgeted funds during recent tours of the country.

He also pointed the centralised utilities ‘Fenaka’ corporation that was formed last June as an example of President Waheed’s use of government-owned enterprise to provide his own supporters with jobs.

“We have seen this government rape institutions like the police and state companies for their own political ends,” Ghafoor claimed. “These are unconstitutional actions we are seeing by the state.”

PPM “concerns”

MP Abdulla Yameen, presidential candidate for the government-aligned PPM, this week told local media that he understood “concerns” raised by MDP candidate Mohamed Nasheed regarding President Waheed’s use of state resources for campaigning.

“That is, the way [the government] is doing things, there are problems over whether we could reach free and fair elections. The Auditor General and ACC [Anti-Corruption Commission] have taken note of this,” Yameen told local media.

While accepting an incumbent would have advantages for campaigning while in power, Yameen called on the government to consult with the Auditor General’s Office and ACC to put rules in place for campaigning within legal bounds and in line with the principles of good governance.

The PPM parliamentary group leader also criticised the government’s decision to sack Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed from his position of home minister following his decision to stand against President Waheed as Yameen’s running mate.

The government at the time cited Dr Jameel’s decision to stand as Yameen’s running mate as representing a conflict of interest, claiming any other cabinet minister standing directly against Dr Waheed would also have to be dismissed ahead of September’s voting.

Cabinet ministers in a coalition government are not obliged to assist the president’s election campaign, Yameen added this week.

He also claimed that PPM has not been given the number of government posts promised by Dr Waheed more than a year ago with the formation of the coalition government.

Former Home Minister Dr Jameel, meanwhile said he believed that appointments to government posts and creation of government-owned companies ahead of the election was intended to influence the outcome.

Government response

The President’s Office has rejected allegations that the government was working to exert undue influence on voters through state resources or funds, accusing both the MDP and PPM of making allegations without any evidence.

President’s Office Media Secretary Masood Imad said that politicians seeking to run for office should therefore act responsibly and avoid making baseless accusations against the government.

“I will say on the record that we are not engaged in any activity that would give us an unfair advantage [in September’s election],” he said.

Responding directly to the MDP’s allegations that the state were using government-owned bodies such as the Fenaka Corporation to gain political influence, Masood claimed that the company was presently headed by a PPM member, leaving president Waheed’s Gaumee Ithihaad Party (GIP) with little influence to do so.

“Fenaka has much more PPM and MDP members working for it than it does GIP supporters,” he said. “Fenaka is headed up by a PPM member, so we do not have any control over this. We do already have difficulty with GIP members ringing us up and asking for jobs,” he said,

Masood concluded that President Waheed had done nothing to exert his influence on voters, claiming appointments made to state institutions following the controversial transfer of power remaining almost unchanged since they were formed under the present administration.

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Nine parties submit audit reports within Elections Commission deadline

Nine political parties have submitted their annual audit reports to the Elections Commission (EC) by a deadline that expired yesterday (May 14), local media has reported.

Under EC rules, all political parties wishing to receive state funds are required to submit their annual audits reports by a specific deadline.

EC Secretary General Asim Abdul Sattar was today quoted by Sun Online as confirming that a total of nine parties had met the deadline to submit the reports. He declined to identify the nine parties at present.

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Elections Commission faces “major challenges” over “lack of funds”

The Elections Commission announced yesterday (May 8 ) that it was facing “major challenges” preparing for the upcoming elections due to a “lack of funds”.

Elections Commission Member Ali Mohamed Manik told local media the commission requires over MVR 80 million (US$ 5,232,160) to hold the upcoming elections.

The EC has meanwhile declared it will publish the voter registry in the government gazette later this month, reports local media.

Manik also announced that the voter registry is almost fully updated and the commission plans to publish the list May 21, so to give the public an opportunity to verify the information and file complaints if revisions are needed.

Regarding ballot box placement, Manik said that there will be 556 ballot boxes for the presidential election, 355 in the atolls, 55 at resorts, while the remainder will be divided between Male’, industrial islands, and prisons.

Manik also urged voters registered in Male’ Dhaftharu – a special registry for people who are Male’ residents, but are from other islands – to provide the Elections Commission with their current addresses as soon as possible.

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