Elections Commission advices against encroaching right to campaign

Maldives Elections Commission has called on all parties to refrain from encroaching other’s right to campaign.

A statement released by the Commission yesterday called on all parties competing for the September presidential election to conduct their campaign according to the code of conduct outline by Article 28 of the “2013 Presidential Elections Regulation.”

The Regulation states that a person’s gender, sect of religion or dialect should not stand as reason for any party to propose that the person vote for, or against, a particular candidate.

It also states that no candidate, or a candidate’s supporters shall obstruct or disrupt a campaign event, held by another candidate.

It also prohibits parties from destroying campaign materials used by rival parties, and calls on all parties to refrain from voicing remarks or actions that might prove defamatory to another candidate.

This year’s presidential campaign has witnessed a few incidents where independent candidate President Mohamed Waheed’s campaign and Jumhoory Party candidate Gasim Ibrahim’s activities were obstructed.

Elections Commission’s window for voter re-registration will close by the end of Wednesday, 7th August, one month prior to the election date. The 2013 presidential election has a total of 239,593 eligible voters.