Last updated : 11 years ago

Parties fail to reach consensus on election date

A meeting is under way at the Elections Commission (EC) to determine a date for the election. The meeting is attended by officials of the Elections Commission, Minster of Defence Mohamed Nazim on behalf of the government, representatives of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Jumhooree Party regarding. The party representatives arrived at the Elections Commission after 9:00 p.m. The representatives attending the meeting are Reeko Moosa Manik and Hassan Latheef on behalf of MDP, Umar Naseer and Ilham Ahmed on behalf of JP, and Abdul Raheem Abdulla and Abdulla Ameen on behalf of PPM. http://www.sun.mv/albums/l_20711.jpg Elections Commission said in a statement last night that discussions need to be held with officials of the government and political parties regarding the election date because they need ‘some political confirmation’. President of Elections Commission Fuad Thaufeeg said that the earliest possible date that the election can be held is 9 November, while Vice President of Elections Commission Ahmed Fayaz Hassan has proposed to political parties to hold the election on 2 November. http://www.sun.mv/albums/l_20712.jpg

01:39

Meeting between Elections Commission officials and Defence Minister Nazim has ended. Nazim refused to share with the media the discussions that took place during the meeting. He said that the government is prepared to cooperate with the Elections Commission in every way.

Defence Minister Nazim (second from left) at tonight's meeting --- Sun photo: Fayaz Moosa

01:19

A meeting is ongoing between Elections Commission members and Defence Minister Mohamed Nazim.

01:13

The meeting has come to an end. No agreement could be reached on an election date. Elections Commission will consider the suggestions made by the parties and decide on a date tomorrow. JP has made several demands regarding the election, including confirming that no unauthorised persons have access to the commission’s server, and verifying fingerprints on 10 percent of the re-registration forms before the election.

01:10

No candidate should have the power to ‘veto’ the election. The election date will be decided by the Elections Commission tomorrow. We have proposed some dates.

01:01

We want to hold the first round on 30 October, and the second round on 7 November. We don’t want an election that’s held on the government’s request, we want an election by the Elections Commission. There’s no need for the government to interfere with this election. What the government needs to do is to maintain security during the election. The Supreme Court issued a guideline because some group didn’t make it to the second round.

00:58

We are prepared to elect a president before 11 November. The election should be held in accordance with the Supreme Court guideline.

00:54

The meeting has ended. PPM has said that Elections Commission will consider the suggestions made by the parties and decide on a date tomorrow. The officials who participated in the meeting are talking to reporters.

00:19

The meeting has resumed.

00:02

The discussions are about to begin after a one hour break. Defence Minister Nazim, PPM’s Abdul Raheem Abdulla, and MDP’s Reeko Moosa Manik have arrived at the Elections Commission.

Umar Naseer arrives at the Elections Commission to attend the meeting on behalf of JP --- Sun photo: Fayaz Moosa

22:52

The discussions have been suspended for about one hour. The parties have proposed dates for the election. MDP proposed 30 October, while PPM and JP proposed 2 November. The Elections Commission said that they would prefer to hold the election on 9 November. All parties support electing a president before 11 November. The discussions will resume at midnight.

PPM representative Abdulla Ameen arrives at the Elections Commission --- Sun photo: Fayaz Moosa