Tag: former president mohamed nasheed

EC members Manik, Farooq summoned for questioning by police

Elections Commission (EC) members Ali Mohamed Manik and Mohamed Farooq were summoned for questioning by police last night.

Farooq told the press upon emerging from the police headquarters that he was questioned about the distribution of voters on the Malé municipality special register to various constituencies in the capital.

Farooq said he answered all the questions put to him by police interrogators, declining to reveal further details.

The police summons for the pair followed questioning of dismissed EC Chair Fuwad Thowfeek on Sunday night.

Thowfeek was questioned over a leaked phone conversation between himself and former President Mohamed Nasheed, during which the pair discussed the distribution of citizens on the municipal register to constituencies in Malé ahead of the parliamentary elections due to take place on March 22.

The former EC chair exercised his constitutional right to remain silent, a police media official confirmed to Minivan News yesterday (March 17).

Following the release of the phone call recording on social media, Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Abdulla Rifau ‘Bochey’ – a candidate of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) for the Maafanu South constituency in the capital – filed a case with the police alleging that Thowfeek had abused his powers as the commission’s chair.

Thowfeek, however, told local media that he had offered clarifications on the municipal registry issue to any politician who had contacted him over the phone.

The commission held a number of meetings with representatives from political parties to discuss the distribution of voters on the municipal registry, he explained.

Thowfeek also said that he shared his concerns regarding the Supreme Court’s contempt of court charges against EC members with various politicians.

“I also shared this concern with President Abdulla Yameen through a text message. In that same manner, I shared my concerns with Nasheed, too,” he said.

Municipal register

In December, the EC compiled a report on electoral constituencies for the 2014 parliamentary elections, increasing voting districts from 77 to 85 in accordance with the Electoral Constituencies Act.

Citizens on the municipal register – residents without a permanent address in Malé – were distributed among constituencies in the capital following consultation with MPs representing the 11 constituencies in Malé.

In the approximately three-minute long recording that surfaced on social media, Nasheed and Thowfeek are heard discussing the redistribution of voters.

“Some of our members went to discuss the matter of the municipal register border, didn’t they? It was agreed then that Maafannu will be kept as in the final report, yes? In short, it was agreed that some changes will be brought to Henveiru and the remaining people on the register will be distributed to the four constituencies of Maafannu, yes?” Nasheed is heard asking.

Thowfeek replies, “Yes, yes, the current borders are something that everyone has agreed on.”

Nasheed then inquires, “have any additional changes been brought to the list later on the request of Maafannu [West] constituency MP Abdulla Abdul Raheem?”

In response, Thowfeek states that no such changes had been made and that Abdul Raheem had visited the commission to discuss the issue.

MP Abdul Raheem was suspended from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in January after voting to approve President Abdulla Yameen’s cabinet against the party’s three-line whip.

He did not contest in the party’s parliamentary primaries or seek re-election.

Following the leak of the phone conversation, MP Abdulla Abdul Raheem explained on Twitter that the EC “invited all members representing Malé constituencies to meet with them” on December 26 to discuss the final report on parliamentary constituencies.

“I highlighted the issue of dhafthar [municipal register] being allocated to only 1 constituency instead of distributing it equally between 4 constituencies,” he tweeted.

MPs ‘Reeko’ Moosa Manik, Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, Mohamed Rasheed, and Ibrahim from the MDP along with PPM MPs Ahmed Nihan and Ahmed Mahloof attended the meeting, Abdul Raheem revealed.

The final report was amended “after our contribution,” he added.

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Chief Justice Faiz previously alleged bribery in interim Supreme Court: Nasheed

Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz alleged in 2010 that judges on the interim Supreme Court “openly accepted bribes”, advising then-President Mohamed Nasheed to “bring the interim court to a halt,” Nasheed has claimed at a campaign rally in Male’ last night.

In 2010, then-interim Supreme Court Justice Faiz requested an audience with the president, Nasheed explained, noting that it was the first time he had met with a sitting judge.

“Faiz came and said the judges on the interim Supreme Court were openly accepting bribes and that Faiz knew of it,” Nasheed said.

He named the judges who were accepting bribes, Nasheed added.

“Faiz told me that the work that went on in the interim Supreme Court was not establishing justice but buying and selling. He said the court must be brought to a halt,” he continued.

Faiz advised the president that he was obliged to rein in the interim court, Nasheed said.

Interim bench

Nasheed referred to the five-member interim Supreme Court – headed by interim Chief Justice Abdulla Saeed – declaring that it was permanent ahead of the constitutional deadline for the interim period on August 7, 2010.

Apart from Faiz, the interim bench sworn in on September 18, 2008 consisted of Justice Abdulla Saeed, Justice Mujthaz Fahmy, Justice Abdulla Areef, and Justice Yousuf Hussain.

Nasheed noted that the then-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) did not have a majority in the People’s Majlis, through which the permanent Supreme Court was to be instituted.

Referring to Justice Ali Hameed’s sex tape scandal, the former president revealed that his first seven nominees to the apex court did not include “disgraced judges.”

The original candidates included sitting MPs and a relative of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, he added.

Nasheed alleged that Jumhooree Party Leader Gasim Ibrahim offered an unlimited amount of money to MDP parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in exchange for confirming Ali Hameed to the Supreme Court bench.

On August 7, 2010, when the constitutional interim period expired, President Nasheed ordered the military to confiscate the keys of the Supreme Court after the interim court declared itself permanent.

Three days later, parliament hastily passed the Judges Act and approved Nasheed’s nominees to the new Supreme Court bench in a deal reached with the then-opposition parties who controlled parliament.

The president’s member on the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), Aishath Velezinee, described Faiz at the time as “a well-respected man amongst the judges. I have never heard anybody question his independence or impartiality. He is a learned man and amongst all the politicking and hanky-panky going on, he has maintained his integrity.”

Nasheed meanwhile went on to severely criticise Faiz for issuing a harshly worded statement condemning international partners who expressed concern with the Supreme Court’s controversial removal of the Elections Commission’s chair and deputy chair.

The Supreme Court was “destroying the future of generations to come,” he said.

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Government to reclaim property awarded to ferry service providers

The government is seeking to reclaim properties provided to companies awarded contracts by the administration of former President Mohamed Nasheed in order to establish regional transport networks, President Abdulla Yameen said last night.

Speaking at campaign launching ceremonies for two Progressive Party of Maldives’ (PPM) parliamentary candidates, President Yameen contended that the transport networks had “failed” across the country.

“The network is at a halt in all areas. It is functioning in just two areas. In one of those areas it is a private sector party providing the service. The system has been very much weakened,” he said.

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) government awarded 200 plots of lands under its transport network agreements to the companies contracted to provide ferry services, Yameen noted, claiming that the bidding process was riddled with corruption.

“For islands given to develop resort, on average we are talking about an annual income of US$30 million. If we consider the total income of a resort we are talking about US$30 million dollars. Out of these 200 plots, a lot were given for resort development. All of them have now been sold,” he said.

While the public-private partnership project “in itself was good,” Yameen contended that it was the most wasteful and corrupt programme carried out by the MDP government.

The programme was intended to unduly benefit certain parties by awarding public property and funds, Yameen added, describing it as the worst such “in Maldivian history”.

“So the work we have to do is taking back such properties that can be beneficial to the public [and undo] the action of a group who claimed that there was corruption in the past and that they would stop it,” he said.

Of the two functioning transport networks at present, Yameen noted that ferry service was currently provided by the government-owned Koodoo Fisheries Company in Gaaf Alif and Gaaf Dhaalu atolls.

In October 2012, the MDP-controlled Gaaf Dhaal Atoll Council accused the previous company of ceasing ferry services and asked the transport ministry to cancel the agreement.

Yameen meanwhile vowed that there would not be a corruption case under his administration that would reach the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC).

“During our five years, God willing you won’t hear of anything that could reach the ACC,” he said, adding that the commission was investigating allegations of corruption “from all sectors” during the MDP’s three years in government.

The government was also seeking to reclaim large plots of land in the capital awarded by the previous government to the MDP-controlled Malé City Council, Yameen said.

However, he added that reclaiming some properties might be difficult even through litigation as estate transactions were advanced in some cases.

PPM campaign

Speaking at the campaign launching event for the PPM’s candidate for the Hulhuhenveiru constituency, Hassan Ziyath, Yameen said he was pleased that “capable and educated youth” were contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections on behalf of the governing Progressive Coalition.

The cabinet was also composed of competent young technocrats, he added, who were working “day and night” with a team committed to implementing the PPM manifesto.

In the campaign launching event for the PPM’s mid-Henveiru constituency candidate, former journalist and television presenter Aishath Leeza, Yameen criticised parliament for failing to approve his nominee for the vacant Prosecutor General post as well as his nominee for the Elections Commission (EC).

The resignation of former EC member Ibrahim ‘Ogaru’ Waheed in October 2013 left a vacancy in the five-member independent commission.

Yameen also criticised parliament for failing to pass legislation such as the penal code, the evidence bill, and the criminal procedures code, which were essential for strengthening the criminal justice system.

The president vowed to establish “a safe and peaceful environment” for citizens in all inhabited islands of the country.

While the government was taking measures to “deter crime,” Yameen said the issue was related to “education of youth.”

He noted that the current administration has introduced Arabic and Quran classes in most schools in the country.

Plans were in the pipeline to introduce civic education and social science subjects in secondary education later this year, he revealed.

“The purpose of including these [subjects] is to provide information to children on how to confront or reconcile upsetting matters that you face within a family or society,” Yameen said, stressing the importance of policies propagated by the state to “maintain Islamic principles.”

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MDP will reform the judiciary, pledges Nasheed

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is seeking a parliamentary majority to reform the judiciary, former President Mohamed Nasheed said last night.

Speaking at an event in Vilimalé to launch the campaign of MDP candidate Sheikh Hussain Rasheed Ahmed, Nasheed said the Supreme Court feared that the opposition party would secure a majority in the People’s Majlis.

“They have summoned the Elections Commission there and are intimidating [commission members] for one purpose. They know the extent to which Supreme Court judges and other judges are tied to various politicians. They do not want the judiciary to be reformed because they want to remain in their posts, enjoy their undue advantages and keep engaging in corrupt activities for eternity,” Nasheed said.

No other party apart from the MDP would even talk about judicial reform, he added.

“What we will do with a parliament majority is reform the judiciary, reform the Supreme Court, reform the Judicial Service Commission,” he continued.

“You have to believe that none of our political opponents could say that they will reform the judiciary. They like it the way it is. What judges are doing is good [for them], too.”

Other parties and politicians turn a blind eye to injustice and the shortcomings of the judiciary as it served their interests, Nasheed contended.

Fair administration of justice was essential for a just society, Nasheed continued, pledging to complete the MDP’s ‘journey to justice’ campaign to reform the judiciary.

“Our government was toppled because we began this journey. All the obstacles we are facing is because of this reason. Nonetheless, we will not back down and, God willing, we will succeed in this task,” he said.

The former president also called on Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain to stop the apex court’s alleged efforts to “intimidate” members of the EC.

Nasheed concluded by expressing his hope that the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for March 22 would be free, fair and transparent.

Contempt of court

Nasheed’s remarks followed the Supreme Court summoning EC members on Wednesday to a surprise trial on charges of contempt of court.

The apex court contended that the EC had criticised the judgment which annulled the first round of presidential election held in September 2013, and disobeyed a Supreme Court order by dissolving eight political parties earlier this month.

The commission members were summoned under new ‘Sumoto’ or ‘Suo motu’ regulations that allow the Supreme Court to initiate hearings and act as both plaintiff and judge in a trial.

In addition to initiating proceedings against EC members, the apex court has in the past ordered police to investigate MDP-aligned private broadcaster Raajje TV over a report the station aired comparing the Maldivian justice system to that of ancient Sodom, suspended lawyers for publicly criticising the judiciary, and sought criminal charges against MPs for allegedly defaming the court.

In late January, the Supreme Court suspended former Attorney General Husnu Suood pending a police investigation, claiming that his criticism of the court’s decisions constituted contempt of court.

Suood told Minivan News that he believed the suspension was related to the sex tape scandal of Supreme Court Justice Ali Hameed. Suood was a member of the committee investigating Hameed’s alleged appearance in the leaked tapes.

The former AG was also barred from the apex court last year while he was representing the EC.

In a comprehensive report on the Maldivian judiciary released in May 2013, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Lawyers and Judges, Gabriela Knaul, expressed concern over “the case of a lawyer who had been indefinitely suspended by the Supreme Court for allegedly criticising one of its judgements in public”.

“Such a suspension leaves no avenue for appeal and review and it represents a violation of the rights of the lawyer. The Special Rapporteur is also concerned about reports regarding threats of contempt of court used to muzzle the freedom of expression of lawyers,” the report stated.

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MDP should boycott polls unduly influenced by Supreme Court, says Nasheed

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) should not participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections if the Supreme Court exerts undue influence over the Elections Commission (EC), former President Mohamed Nasheed has said.

Speaking at a campaign event in Male’ last night, Nasheed contended that the Supreme Court’s summoning of EC members over alleged contempt of court was an attempt to “intimidate” the independent institution.

The apex court, in collusion with the ruling coalition, was planning to “play the same game they played in the presidential election,” the MDP’s former presidential candidate alleged, adding that the ‘Progressive Coalition’ was certain of facing defeat.

“In my view, an election conducted with the Supreme Court exerting influence over the Elections Commission to deliberately commit electoral fraud or rig the vote will not be a legitimate election – in my view, MDP should not participate in such an election,” Nasheed said.

Neither the international community nor the Maldivian public would accept general elections boycotted by the MDP, Nasheed said.

Nasheed referred to new regulations (Dhivehi) formulated by the Supreme Court last week to specify procedures for initiating cases on their own accord, correctly predicting that the court was planning to prosecute EC members.

“If the Supreme Court delays the election, meddles with the voters list and commits fraud after summoning the Elections Commissioner tomorrow [Wednesday] and intimidating Elections Commission members, I would say that the damage to our democracy and our country from participating in such a election would be greater [than not participating],” he said.

Nasheed claimed that the MDP lost last year’s presidential election because of “fraud and deception”.

“In my view, if we give up the Majlis election the same way, we are losing our future, the future of our children and children’s children,” he added.

A free and fair election in which the public has confidence is the foundation of democratic governance, Nasheed stressed.

“When there is no justice in voting, everything loses legitimacy,” he said.

Nasheed concluded his remarks by calling on the Supreme Court not to “muddle the entire future and hope of this nation.”

Meanwhile, appearing on MDP-aligned private broadcaster Raajje TV last night, MP Ali Waheed claimed that the government was conspiring to postpone the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 22.

The MDP parliamentary group’s deputy leader said he had learned of plans to delay the polls in certain constituencies in a bid to ensure that the ruling coalition secures a majority.

“If they carry out these efforts again this time, we will bring the whole country to a halt,” he warned.

Troubled polls

Last year’s presidential election was marred by repeated delays, cancellations and police obstruction.

On October 7, the Supreme Court annulled the results of the first round of the polls conducted on September 7 in a controversial 4-3 decision – citing a confidential police report – despite unanimous positive assessment of the polling by more than a thousand domestic and international election observers.

While the secret police report alleging irregularities – which was not shared with the EC’s defence lawyers – was dismissed by a UN expert review, the credibility of the evidence cited by the apex court was also questioned by the Human Rights Commission of Maldives.

Following the first round in which Nasheed emerged the frontrunner with 45.45 percent of the vote, third-placed candidate Gasim Ibrahim sought annulment of the results alleging widespread electoral fraud.

Pending a ruling on the business magnate’s appeal, the Supreme Court indefinitely suspended the second round scheduled for September 28 and issued a supplementary midnight ruling ordering the police and military to forcibly prevent the EC from conducting the polls.

The EC had said it intended to comply with the constitutionally-mandated deadline for the run-off, but was forced to capitulate after it was surrounded by special operations police with orders to storm the building, arrest officials and confiscate ballot papers.

The eventual revote on October 19 was also obstructed by police, after Progressive Party of Maldives candidate Abdulla Yameen and Gasim refused to sign the voter registry – a requirement from a 16-point guideline imposed on the EC by the Supreme Court judgment.

The guidelines also compelled the EC to consider the Department of National Registry’s (DNR) database as the primary source for compiling the eligible voters registry.

While the revote was eventually held on November 9 and a second round was due to take place the next day, Yameen refused to sign the voter lists hours before polls were to open and the Supreme Court ordered the EC to conduct the run-off election on November 16.

In what was the EC’s sixth attempt in two months to conduct polls, Yameen narrowly defeated Nasheed with 51.39 percent of the vote (111,203) to the MDP candidate’s 48.61 percent (105,181).

Meanwhile, on January 18, Nasheed told reporters that the MDP suspected electoral fraud using fake national identity cards in November’s polls.

Nasheed contended that non-existent people were added to the database at the DNR as part of “efforts to rig the election through the Supreme Court.”

EC President Fuwad Thowfeek told the press last month that the commission was was forced to consider the DNR list as legitimate despite errors, such as citizens deemed deceased while alive.

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MDP will empower island councils, says Nasheed

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) MPs will seek to amend the Decentralisation Act to empower local councils, former President Mohamed Nasheed has said.

Speaking at campaign events in Malé last night, Nasheed said the party’s aim was to award a nearby uninhabited island to each island council as a source of income.

“We want each council to conduct business transactions using the island [to generate income] for establishing sewerage and water systems, build roads or even construct a harbour or do work needed for the school – we want to find a way for you to undertake these efforts on your own,” he said.

Under the existing system of governance, Nasheed contended that the central government could not establish “even two sanitation systems” this year due to financial constraints and the current state of the economy.

Nasheed observed that sewerage, water,and electricity has been established in over 100 resort islands.

The MDP’s policy was facilitating guest house or mid-market tourism in inhabited islands in order to make infrastructure projects economically feasible, Nasheed explained.

Nasheed made the remarks at jagaha (campaign hub) opening ceremonies in the Henveiru ward for the MDP’s candidates for the Eydhafushi constituency in Baa atoll, and the Isdhoo constituency in Laamu atoll.

Speaking at the opening of the campaign hub Eydhafushi candidate, Hisaan Hussain, Nasheed said the law had to be amended for islands to benefit from its natural riches.

“We have to change the decentralisation law to give powers to island councils. We have to give the Eydhafushi council the discretion and the resources to reclaim land. One aim of our party is to empower island councils, generate income for island councils, and find ways for island councils to develop their islands,” he said.

Island councils should be able to initiate infrastructure projects such as establishing sewerage systems, Nasheed added.

In his speeches last night, Nasheed urged voters to compare the MDP’s candidates for Eydhafushi and Isdhoo with their opponents in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

Both Hisaan and Umar Razzaq were academically qualified and experienced in government administration and public service, Nasheed said.

Meanwhile, speaking at a function held last night to award the party’s ticket to candidates, Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) Leader Ahmed ‘Sun Travel’ Shiyam Mohamed reportedly said that voting for MDP candidates for parliament “could be a sin.”

Voters should not choose MDP candidates because of the party’s track record during its three years in government, the MP for Dhaalu Meedhoo said.

Praising the MDA’s candidates as “competent and educated,” Shiyam assured supporters that MDA MPs would not sell their votes or accept bribes.

“Bribing to obtain votes is haram. You must not do such a thing,” Shiyam said.

“Ruling a nation is like running a company. Developing a country is also putting the economy back on its feet. That is what we are working for,” the resort tycoon added.

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PPM confident of winning majority of island and atoll councils

The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) is confident of winning “a clear majority” of seats from atoll and island councils in Saturday’s local government elections, Deputy Leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla declared yesterday.

Speaking to press at the party’s office, the MP for Laamu Fonadhoo said former President Mohamed Nasheed’s claim on Saturday night that the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) would win a majority of seats was “worrying” as provisional results have not been announced yet.

Despite the MDP retaining control of the Malé and Addu city councils, preliminary results show that the PPM-led coalition has won 38 atoll council seats to the MDP’s 28 seats, Abdul Raheem noted.

Candidates from the ‘Progressive Coalition’ have also won 337 island council seats, he added.

Abdul Raheem suggested that government-aligned parties lost out in some constituencies with strong support as a result of inadequate campaigning.

“This happened because the local council election came not long after we assumed government after the presidential election. So we weren’t able to put in an adequate effort,” he said.

Voters considered family connections more than party affiliation in choosing candidates, Abdul Raheem said, contending that the results would therefore not be reflected in the upcoming parliamentary elections scheduled for March 22.

The PPM MP went on to condemn former President Nasheed’s threats to impeach President Abdulla Yameen should the MDP win a two-thirds majority of the People’s Majlis.

Speaking to press on Saturday night, Nasheed suggested that the local council elections indicated the MDP would win a majority of parliamentary seats.

“I believe Maldivians want an MDP majority in the country, and an MDP government in the country. The laws state two methods for changing a government. That is through an election or through a no-confidence vote followed by an election. If the Maldivian citizens give us a majority in parliament, then we will be forced to take that no confidence vote,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Nasheed told reporters that the MDP suspected electoral fraud using fake national identity cards in the presidential election.

Abdul Raheem meanwhile condemned Nasheed’s remarks and accused the former president of attempting to incite unrest and turmoil.

The PPM did not believe that the public would give the opposition party enough parliamentary seats to impeach the president, he said.

Despite differences of opinion among coalition parties, Abdul Raheem insisted that the ruling coalition was “strong and united”.

Referring to Nasheed’s remarks conceding the presidential election on November 16, Abdul Raheem said a responsible opposition party would not seek to change the government.

“We have half the country behind us. And therefore I wouldn’t see many challenges for us to face the next local council elections and the parliamentary elections. So we should be doing that,” Nasheed had said in the wake of the MDP’s narrow presidential election defeat.

“One thing we should not contemplate would be to overthrow the government by street action or by direct action. We must adhere to democratic principles.”

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MDP suspects electoral fraud in presidential election, says Nasheed

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) suspects electoral fraud using fake national identity cards in last year’s presidential election, former President Mohamed Nasheed has said.

Speaking to reporters after voting in today’s local council election, Nasheed referred to the Elections Commission (EC) including ID card photos in voter lists used at polling stations.

“We now have photos of all eligible voters. [But] we can see people without photos in the eligible voters list. We suspect very strongly that those without photos are non-existent people. However, they voted in the presidential election,” Nasheed said.

Nasheed explained that all candidates were sent the marked voters registry after the election, which identifies those who voted.

“So we are very certain now that there was serious fraud in the presidential election,” he said, adding that there were discrepancies between the voter registry used in the presidential election and the one used today.

Nasheed said he believes that non-existent people were added to the database at the Department of National Registration (DNR) as part of “efforts to rig the election through the Supreme Court.”

On October 7, the Supreme Court annulled the results of the first round of the presidential election on September 7 based on a secret police forensic report despite international and domestic praise of a free and fair vote.

Subsequent attempts to conduct the polls were obstructed by the police after the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Jumhooree Party (JP) refused to sign the voters registry – a requirement from a 16-point guideline imposed by the apex court judgment.

Nasheed was narrowly defeated by PPM candidate Abdulla Yameen in the second round of the presidential election that eventually took place on November 16.

Yameen received 51.39 percent of the vote (111,203) whilst Nasheed polled 48.61 percent (105,181) – a difference of just 6,022 votes.

Total voter turnout was 91.41 percent (218,621), the highest since 2008, up five percent from 208,504 (86 percent) in the first round.

Nasheed meanwhile told the press today that discussions were taking place within the MDP on a course of action concerning the suspected electoral fraud.

“I believe we have to go to court, too. We have to raise our voices about this. We have to clearly find out what happened with this vote. We always suspected there was fraud committed through the Supreme Court. Now, God willing, we will be able to confirm with this information,” the MDP presidential candidate said.

He added that the party could not accept the results of the presidential election if allegations of fraud were substantiated.

EC President Fuwad Thowfeek told parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee on Thursday (January 16) that the first list with ID card photos provided by the DNR was missing photos of more than 5,400 people.

However, the DNR provided photos of about 4,000 voters two weeks ago, Thowfeek told MPs, which left the final voter lists without the photos of 1,176 people.

Asked if photos could have been repeated in the DNR list, Thowfeek said the EC could not check and verify the information.

Speaking to press following the closing of polls today, EC member Ali Mohamed Manik addressed the allegations of phantom voters on the DNR list.

Manik said he personally did not believe that the DNR “as the institution responsible maintaining information of all Maldivian citizens” would provide fraudulent lists to the EC.

He added that the EC has not attempted to verify the authenticity of the photos provided by the DNR.

Thowfeek noted that the commission was legally responsible for compiling the eligible voters registry prior to the annulled presidential polls on September 7 last year.

However, the Supreme Court ordered the EC to consider the DNR list as the only source in compiling the registry, Thowfeek explained.

He added that the EC was forced to consider the DNR list as legitimate despite errors, such as citizens deemed deceased while alive.

“So it has become difficult for us to say anything about the validity of the list,” he said.

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MDP turns focus to local council elections

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) must present its vision of functioning city, atoll and island councils to the public ahead of the local government elections on January 18, former President Mohamed Nasheed said last night at the opposition party’s first post-election rally.

Speaking to thousands of supporters at the carnival stage area in Male’, Nasheed noted that the chapter on decentralisation in the constitution was added by the MDP while others insisted that it conflicted with the Maldives being a unitary state.

“Maldivian rulers should not think after this January that they could govern without city councils, atoll councils and island councils,” Nasheed said.

While the People’s Majlis has oversight powers to hold the government accountable, Nasheed said it was the councils that “directly provide services to the public.”

The purpose of decentralised administration was to bring the government “closer to the people,” he said, adding that the MDP government worked closely with the councils elected in February 2011.

The MDP’s vision for city and island councils should be based on the experience of the past three years, he said.

Nasheed referred to the signing of a waste management contract with India’s Tatva Global Renewable Energy earlier this month.

The contract should have been signed in February 2012 but was delayed by the previous administration, he continued, which worsened the waste disposal problem in the capital and deprived the city council’s waste management section of necessary investment.

The former MDP presidential candidate expressed confidence of winning the council elections against the parties in the government coalition.

Nasheed observed that the MDP won clear majorities in the presidential election from urban centres such as Male’ City and the southernmost Addu City as well as a plurality of votes in most other constituencies.

As the party would win against more than one candidate from different parties, Nasheed said the MDP should assume that government-aligned parties would field single candidates.

“We must face this contest on our own, with our own courage,” he said.

“MDP is a ship for all seas,” Nasheed said, adding that the party was equally fit for governance and opposition.

Nasheed vowed that the MDP would hold the present administration answerable and watch over its actions “every minute of every day.”

The party would keep citizens informed, he added, asserting that the country could “no longer be governed through deceiving the public.”

“Freedom of assembly and freedom of expression must be defended even with our lives. We have to maintain this system that we’ve got,” Nasheed said.

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