Vote ballots thrown out after dispute in Central Henveiru vote station escalated

Some ballot papers of the vote box in Central Henveiru constituency were torn and thrown in the PPM/PNC parliamentary election primaries after a dispute at the location escalated on Saturday.

The primary election for the coalition administration to determine candidates for the upcoming parliamentary election in March was held yesterday.

The papers were thrown during a scuffle during the counting of votes. A large number of police personnel have also been deployed at the polling booth.

The Central Henveiru constituency was identified as the most contested constituency in the election. The results of the constituency are yet to be announced.

During the voting, people gathered at the polling booth in Central Henveiru constituency, which was set up at Kalafaanu School, and had had some physical altercations on location as well. One of the vote boxes was physically thrown during the disagreements.

The problem at hand was allegations that some of the members that appeared on the initial voters list had been eliminated from it at the last minute.

Hassan Shiyam (VB Hassan) had earlier contested from Central Henveiru constituency. However, when his candidacy was rejected on the grounds that he had tried to create a rift within the party, Hassan decided to contest the assembly polls as an independent candidate.

When clashes broke out during the voting process, the Leader of the coalition and current President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said that the primaries were fair and transparent, and that any change in the voters' list would not happen within the PPM/PNC.

He, however, added that if any complaint is filed by any party, it will be looked into carefully.

Earlier, it was decided that the nominations of some of the candidates for the PNC primary would not be accepted. The reason given at the time was a lack of sufficient service to the party by the candidate, or efforts on the part of the candidate to create discord within the coalition. However, following concerns raised by some candidates and members of the general public, President Dr Muizzu reversed the decision, allowing all candidates the chance to contest.