Tag: elections commission

MDP condemns PA Shareef’s appointment to Elections Commission

)The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has today issued a statement condemning the Elections Commission (EC)’s decision to appoint former Peoples Alliance Party (PA) Secretary General and Spokesperson Ahmed Shareef as the Secretary General of the EC.

‘’MDP believe that anyone appointed for any position at the Elections Commission shall be a person away from influence, independent, fair and a person that would not protect the interest of a specific person,’’ said MDP in the statement.

MDP said it regretted that the commission would appoint a political figure to the commission and condemned the action “in strongest possible terms.”

Former Spokesperson of MDP Ahmed Haleem told Minivan News that ‘’as long as Shareef is in that position, this country can never hold free and fair elections.’’

Haleem said if he remained in the post, it will cause to “violence following future elections as people to question the fairness of the elections.”

‘’He is a person definitely adapted to a political idea and he will have his own interest,’’ Haleem claimed. ‘’The Elections Commission is the commission that has to be most fair and independent.’’

He also said the new President of MDP Dr Ibrahim Didi “will do anything that he has to, to solve this issue.”

Secretary General of EC Ibrahim Shareef told Minvan News that he had resigned from his post in the PA earlier this month and “resigned from politics.”

‘’My position in PA then was not also a political position, it was more an administrative position and it was my job then, I worked there as an employee,’’ Shareef said. ‘’Now I am in a non-political position and I will work independently.’’

Shareef said he was “very confident” that his actions would not be those claimed by the MDP.

‘’I assure the people that my actions will not be like that,’’ he said. ‘’I will follow the EC rules and regulations as well as the constitution and other laws and continue my work sincerely.’’

President of Elections Commission Fuad Thaufeeq did not respond to Minivan News at times of press.

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Umar Naseer challenges legitimacy of Thasmeen’s leadership

The Elections Commission (EC) has said that it still considers Ahmed Thasmeen Ali to be the leader of the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) despite a technicality that dismissed Deputy Leader Umar Naseer claims disqualifies him from the position for failing to report the minutes of the party congress at which he was appointed.

Naseer made the claims yesterday in a text message sent to local media, alleging Thasmeen’s apparent failure to submit the minutes of the 2010 party congress to the EC within 15 days.

According to the message, this means that under party rules, Thasmeen should no longer officially be recognised by the commission as the party head.

An EC spokesperson claimed that although the party had failed to submit the minutes and recordings of last year’s DRP congress, during which it outlined its current leadership as required under its regulations, the commission did not have the mandate to disqualify Thasmeen from his appointment on such grounds.

“Thasmeen has failed to submit the minutes of 2010 DRP Congress to the Elections Commission within 15 days as stipulated by ‘Siyaasee Party ge Qavaaidh 2005,’” Umar claimed in a release sent by SMS. “It means that as far as the (EC) is concerned, Thasmeen is not the leader of the DRP.”

Umar Naseer, Thasmeen and fellow DRP MP Ahmed Maussom were either unavailable or unwilling to comment on the issue when contacted by Minivan News.

However, DRP MP Ahmed Nihan told Minivan News that claims that Thasmeen could no longer be considered as the head of the DRP first surfaced yesterday evening in a report by local media organisation SunFM.

Nihan, citing SunFM, claimed that under the EC’s own mandate, details and a recording of the national congress held by the party to approve new leadership needed to be sent to the regulatory body within 15 days of the event being held.

The DRP MP claimed this still had not happened so far, representing a “clear breach” of party regulation by its leader.

Nihan, himself a supporter of the Z-DRP faction of the party that is critical of Thasmeen’s leadership, said he believed the matter was not just an administrative error and had serious implications for the party.

“This is very serious, the smallest matter can often have the largest consequence and the EC must find a way to solve the issue,” he said. “We [as a party] must do things according to laws and procedure and Thasmeen should be accountable for his mismanagement.”

In addressing the EC’s claims that it could not remove Thasmeen for failing to supply minutes from the congress, Nihan claimed that the body should also probe the DRP leader for potentially breaking the party’s laws and regulations.

The MP added that although he had not received any official notice that the DRP’s leadership were meeting about the matter, as a council member for the party he expected an official response from the Thasmeen’s side by the evening. “I’m sure a meeting will have taken place today about this, but I have no details,” he said.

Addressing the claims, EC Vice President Ahmed Hassan Fayaz told Minivan News that although he was aware of a clause in the party’s existing regulations relating to supplying official minutes to the commission, the EC did not have authority to strip a party leader of his position.

“When you to fail to inform the EC of a party decision such as a leadership, we cannot reject that person’s authority, it doesn’t work like that,” he said. “For example, when someone is born, if health authorities are not informed of the birth it does not mean that the child does not exist.”

Fayaz claimed that Thasmeen’s appointment at the congress, which was supported by Gayoom before he became openly critical of his successor earlier this year, had been witnessed by hundreds of party delegates as well as covered by local media ensuring that it was well-documented decision.

The EC vice president said that the issue was therefore an internal party issue for members.

“Perhaps the party secretariat failed to provide the minutes [within the deadline],” he said. Fayaz claimed that the DRP regulations relating to submission of the minutes did not give the EC the power to remove the party’s leader from his post. “If a formal complaint was made over the issue than we would look into it,” he said. “However, it would more be in a manner where we would offer advice to the party on how to proceed with this matter. We cannot dictate to the DRP about leadership if it has failed to inform us of its minutes.”

The claims that Thasmeen should no longer be registered as the head of the DRP reflect an increasingly bitter divide between two different factions that are contesting to represent themselves as the country’s main opposition party to the public.

Umar Naseer’s dismissal by the party last December led to factional infighting in the party between the serving leader and other MPs loyal to Naseer and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who founded the party back in 2005.

Since then, each of these factions has engaged in criticism of each other resulting in threats of potential legal action and separate presidential bids.

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Island councillor reportedly appointed without by-election

The Elections Commission (EC) has appointed a member to the Kamadhoo Island Council in Baa Atoll without a by-election after an application deadline passed with only one valid candidate.

Haveeru has reported that Ali Naaidh of Rosemead, Kamadhoo, was appointed to the local island council after the EC rejected two other applications from candidates from the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) that it said were “incomplete”.

A by-election has initially been planned for a month from today (June 5) after Ahmed Shafeeq, a previously elected member of the council resigned on the grounds of dealing with “personal problems”, the report added.

The EC were unavailable for comment when contacted by Minivan News at the time of going to press.

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Voice clip of MDP T-shirt negotiations leaked to local media

A voice clip of a conversation has between Special Envoy to the President Ibrahim Zaki and a person named Anandhu, purportedly in the UK, has been leaked to the local media, concerning negotiations for the delivery of T-Shirts for the Maldivian Democratic Party ahead of the Presidential election.

In the voice clip that first appeared on the website of local radio station SunFM, Zaki and Anandhu speak about payment for the T-shirts ahead of the 2008 presidential elections.

The General Elections Act article number 70 states that “products or money” given by foreigners shall not be used by a Presidential Candidate or any person on behalf of a Presidential Candidate, and article 70[a] states that ”Products or money given by foreigners, foreign parties or foreign administrations shall not be used.”

Zaki told Minivan News that he had provided ”many T-shirts” to the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

”No foreign party has directly contributed the MDP, it all came to me and from the things I received I gave things that I felt like giving to MDP,” he said. ”The General Election Act prohibits political parties accepting offers from foreign parties.”

Elections Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq did not respond to Minivan News at time of press, while Vice Commissioner’s phone was switched off.

Director General of the Elections Commission Mohamed Tholal said he was out of the country and was unable to comment.

The leaked conversation:

Anandhu: Yes, Zaki. On the 1st I will make the transfer. Now, I understand from you, from the email I got also, that I got to do it directly to Elements (?) Garment.

Zaki: Yes, because that makes things very easy for us. That means by wire transfer.

A: Ok, no problem. The rest, I mean you can count me. On the 1st it will be done by wire transfer, ok? And I will then send you an email on the 1st itself to say it’s done and chase it up with Elements Garments to make sure everything goes according to plan. But if I do it on the 1st, say we receive the funds on the 2nd, I mean, do you know the company very well? Does Mausoom know the company very well?

Z: Mausoom knows very well.

A: OK, tell Mausoom to tell then that the funds are coming. Prepare everything and as soon as they receive the funds they can just send it. Because what my fear is that by the time it comes to Male’ – I don’t know how long it will take.

Z: I think it will not take more than about five, six days.

A: Five, six days, ok. As of today, when do you envisage the date of the election will be? It will be around the 11th of September?

Z: Well, you know, the original contemplation of the government was to have the first round on the 20th of September and to have the second round on the 4th of October.

A: Then we have enough time. Because what my worry was, I didn’t want the t-shirts to get to you too late.

Z: Yeah, and in the meantime, an EU delegation came here a couple of days ago.

A: Yes, yes.

Z: And they met us and they said they’ve been talking to Gayoom also and talking to us. And they said their idea is that the 1st of September to the 30th is the month of Ramazan, the fasting month. So their suggestion is why don’t we have the first round on the 4th of October and the second round after two weeks.

A: It makes sense. I don’t know how you feel, but it makes sense. It gives you a bit more time to prepare.

Z: No, our reply was very simple. We cannot agree that the current regime can be extended more than the 11th of November.

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Villigili ballot box recount reveals 49 votes invalidated erroneously

A recount by the Elections Commission (EC) of one ballot box in Gaaf Alif Villigili as ordered by the High Court last week has revealed that 49 votes were erroneously invalidated, reports SunFM.

The case was filed at the High Court by island council candidate Anbaree Anwar Moosa, who was placed eighth with two votes short. Seven councillors were elected to the Villigili island council.

However, Anwar Moosa did not receive any votes from the validated 49 votes.

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EC slates Kelaa re-vote for April 9

The Elections Commission (EC) has announced that a local council by-election in Haa Alif Kelaa will take place on April 9 after the High Court declared the previous results invalid and ordered a re-vote.

The High Court ruled that the ballots were counted in a nearby island in violation of the Elections Act following disturbances in Kelaa on February 5.

The polling station in Kelaa was closed 15 minutes from time by EC officials who declared that people who left the queue would not be allowed to vote, angering many islanders and sparking confrontations.

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Police confirm island councillor charged over sexual abuse allegations

The Maldives Police Service has confirmed that an individual recently appointed to serve on the island council of Vaikaradhoo in Haa Dhaal atoll had been arrested on suspicion of sexually molesting a 14 year-old minor.

A police spokesperson confirmed to Minivan News that the arrest of a councillor serving on the island had taken place, but was unable to give any details on the suspect’s identity.

Local press have speculated on the identity of the suspect, who they claim had been identified by sources within the police as a councillor representing the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). If convicted, the Elections Commission (EC) has confirmed that the suspect would be stripped of the councillor position that was appointed during last month’s local council elections.

Elections Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq said that standard procedure in the case of criminal convictions within the recently formed local councils would be that the Local Government Authority (LGA), which oversees devolved government in the country, would have to inform the EC of any serving members found guilty of a crime.

“There are conditions of candidacy, where if a person [serving on an elected council] is convicted of committing a crime they would be ineligible for office for a period of time,” he said.

Thaufeeq stressed that in the case of serious crimes like sexual abuse, there would be “no chance” that any convicted candidate would be eligible for election ever again.

“As it stands, [the criminal conviction of a serving councillor] will require a separate election to be held for their vacant seat,” he added.

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Final election results due tonight after “trouble-free” council re-vote, says EC

The final results of yesterday’s second round of voting for five Island council positions that obtained an equal number of votes in last month’s local elections are expected this evening, officially bringing an end to polling that commenced back in February, the Elections Commission (EC) has said.

Elections Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq told Minivan News that despite ongoing legal action concerning the alleged conduct of last month’s local elections in certain constituencies , the second round of voting for the fifth and final seat in five island councils had gone almost entirely without disruption or incident yesterday.

The five seats requiring additional voting to appoint a fifth and final councilor were in Baa atoll Kihaadhoo, Raa atoll Dhuvaafaru, Gaaf Alif atoll Kolamaafushi, Haa Dhaal atoll Kumundhoo, and Meemu atoll Veyvah.

Along with polling stations on each of these islands, Thaufeeq said that voters registered in Male’ were also able to use ballot boxes specially set up in the capital. The commissioner claimed that the polling was conducted without any major disruptions or violence.

“There was one incident at 4:00pm for the Kolamaafushi ballot box for voters in Male’ when it was time to close the polls,” he said. “After two late voters came to the ballot, there was a problem when they were told they were unable to vote. However, EC officials managed to speak with them and resolve the problem stressing that it was no longer possible to register a vote [after a ballot box is closed].”

A spokesperson for the Maldives Police Service also confirmed yesterday afternoon that the elections were thought to have gone “smoothly” with no reports received by authorities of any violence or disputes relating to polling that had been seen in isolated incidents during the first round of voting on 5 February.

At present, Thaufeeq said that he hoped for the final counts to be completed and all results to be given by about 8:45pm this evening, meaning that from the EC’s standpoint, voting for the local council elections would then be complete.

“All the [local council] elections have been conducted according to our rules and requirements” he said. “When the results are announced, the elections is over by our understanding.”

Thaufeeq conceded though that 14 cases related to election results remained in court at present, resulting in a number of Atoll Councils still waiting to take the required oath of office to begin their work.

The commissioner added that fresh voting for Kela island council in Haa Alif Atoll was also being called for by some after police were required to evacuate election officials and the ballot box to Hanimaadhoo on 5 February.  The police action was taken as irate crowds were said to have formed over concerns about the conduct of some voters and campaigners.

“We didn’t find any problems in our voting system,” said Thaufeeq, addressing the overall elections.

After announcing that a second round of council voting was required last month, EC Vice President Ahmed Hassan Fayaz told Minivan News that there would not be any additional voting for February’s elections without a court ruling.

Re-vote

According to the EC, every island taking part in the local council elections were required to pick five candidates to sit on their respective councils. However, the commission said that recounts were required in five of these constituencies solely between the fifth and sixth placed candidates who received an equal number of votes.

“Effectively they were tied within these constituencies, so according to the law, the fifth and sixth placed candidates will have to be voted on again,” said Fayaz at the time.

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Oath-taking ceremony for 14 councils delayed following High Court injunction

Oath-taking ceremonies for newly elected councilors were held on Saturday, except for those areas where complaints have been filed in the High Court.

The High Court on Thursday ordered that 14 areas were to suspend their oath-taking ceremonies until the High Court conclude cases filed regarding the elections.

Ceremonies scheduled to be held for H.Dh Nolhivaranfaru island council, H.Dh Nolhivaram area Atoll council, N. Miladhoo island council, R. Maduvvari island council, R. Maduvvari Area Atoll council, G. DH Faresmathoda island council, G.Dh Faresmathoda Area Atoll Council, A.Dh Dhangethi island council, A.A Mathiveri island council, A.A Atoll council, L. Atoll council, G.A Vilingili island council,G.A Atoll council and L. Dhambidhoo island council were delayed by order of the High Court.

The Court said if successful candidates in these areas took the oath while a case was pending in court, it violated the rights of those who filed the cases.

In all the other areas, successful candidates took the oath of office in their respective councils on Saturday.

Ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has recently said that “thousands” of complaints were received by the party regarding the elections, and also accused the Elections Commission of being partial and unfair, filing such cases in the High Court.

MDP contends that some complaints could potentially change the results of some areas.

President Mohamed Nasheed has meanwhile said that the oath of office for local councillors was “a  historic step towards consolidating decentralisation.”

Speaking during his weekly radio address, Nasheed said that councilors were officially part of the country’s executive branch, and urged them “to work closely with the government to achieve the policy targets set out by the government.”

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