Election not likely to be free and fair, says Yameen

Presidential candidate of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Abdullah Yameen has said that the upcoming presidential election is not likely to be free and fair, as the possibility exists of alteration of voters’ information.

Yameen made this remark while speaking at a press conference held at the PPM Office today, following the conclusion of his visit to India.

“When our party officials recently asked about this, they said that now, only one person has the database password. But we want an additional security feature. Instead of only one person having access to the database, it should be possible for two or three people to access it simultaneously. The database should not be accessible by one particular person. Otherwise we have no confidence that the database would not be tampered with. We still have no confidence,” he said.

Yameen said that resort owners are often able to see and express discontent over how resort employees vote.

“It’s also a problem, that when ballot boxes are placed in resorts, resort owners sometimes say that they would not be happy if employees vote for a particular candidate. This also includes dismissing them, doesn’t it? Some people say this, and whether they implement it afterwards or not, is a later issue. So is this a free vote? This can’t be counted as a free vote,” he said.

Yameen said that this is a problem that can be solved by the Elections Commission, by making arrangements for resort employees to vote in nearby inhabited islands.

“Some resort owners have requested, to save themselves from possible defamation following such political activities, that ballot boxes be kept in the nearest inhabited island instead of the resort. This would also save resort owners from this defamation. This is something that the Elections Commission can do,” he said.

Yameen said that the Elections Commission is not doing enough to increase public confidence in the election.

PPM said that its concerns regarding the election will be filed to court this week. PPM Council Member Dhunya Maumoon said that the case draft will be completed within about two days.