Opposition parties express distrust in Elections Commission

Opposition parties have raised concerns and said that they have lost confidence in the Election Commission (EC) due to their conduct.

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), The Democrats, Maldives National Party (MNP), Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) and Jumhooree Party (JP) held a press conference on Sunday, June 25 to raise their concerns over EC.

During the press conference, founder of The Democrats and Henveiru West MP Hassan Latheef voiced the concerns shared by all opposition parties regarding the actions of the Election Commission (EC) and various state agencies in relation to the upcoming elections.

The Democrats filed to register on June 1 and the Election Commission had informed them that the validity process has been completed on June 15. Today he was told that the permit will be issued next Sunday, but it should already have been received by now, Hassan said.

Hassan Latheef expressed frustration over the delay in receiving the registration permit from the Election Commission. While The Democrats filed their registration on June 1, the validity process, had been completed by June 15 according to EC. However the commission said that the registration permit will be issued next week.

MP Shiyam accused the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of misusing state resources, expressing concern over the lack of action taken by relevant institutions to address the issue.

He criticized the National Advisory Committee on Elections, stating that it has not been active and has become nothing more than a "notice board", with no meetings taking place for many days.

MNP Vice President and Villimalé MP Ahmed Usham emphasized the importance of consistently conducting the entire election process in a fair manner and not just on the day of the election.

He said that the commission's role in ensuring free and fair elections is not being adequately fulfilled.

At the press conference, MRM has expressed concerns about the recent functioning of the Election Commission (EC), particularly regarding the commission's decision to dissolve the party. However, MRM has not made a decision on whether to form a coalition with another party.