Adam Shareef, the Vice President of the Progressive Party of Maldives and Maduvvaree MP, has accused the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) of winning the Guraidhoo seat through bribery and exerting influence.
The seat had been held by the PPM for the past three terms, with Ibrahim Riza as the representative who passed away last February. This marks the first time the MDP has won the Guraidhoo seat and the first time the MDP has won a parliamentary seat from Kaafu atoll.
Adam Shareef tweeted that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and the MDP will not be able to influence everyone in the Maldives, even if they win the election by distributing millions in bribes. He further said that it would become evident in the presidential election next September that money cannot buy everyone. He predicted that President Yameen would be freed, and PPM would win the 2023 presidential election.
Both the PPM and the Maldives National Party (MNP) have also made allegations against the government and the Elections Commission over the Guraidhoo by-election held on April 15.
The voting was initially scheduled from 8 am to 4 pm, but due to bad weather and rain, the Elections Commission extended the time till 5 pm to allow as many people as possible to cast their votes. However, the decision was taken without consulting the parties, prompting both the PPM and MNP to criticize the government. The PPM claimed that the extension was given to influence the vote.
During the by-election campaign, both the PPM and the MNP had complained that the government's sudden launch of various projects in the constituency was an attempt to directly influence votes. PPM has also reported some cases to the Anti-Corruption Commission.
The provisional results released by the Elections Commission indicate that MDP candidate Ibrahim Shaz secured 1,346 votes, PPM candidate Hussain Riza received 1,226 votes, and MNP's candidate Ali Areef received 122 votes.
Sign In