Parties begin endorsing final voters' list

All three parties competing in the presidential election has started to sign the final voters’ list for the first round of the re-run election, scheduled for 9 November.

The first party to start signing the list was the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). The party’s presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed started endorsing the lists at noon today. Senior members, representatives from the presidential candidates of the remaining two parties, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Jumhoory Party (JP), started signing the list shortly.

Observers from the Commonwealth and other international bodies were also in the Elections Commission to witness the parties endorse the voters’ list.

Speaking to the press after the signing, former president Mohamed Nasheed said “the signing is ongoing, all parties have agreed to sign” and that he hopes for a smooth and peaceful election on Saturday.

PPM candidate’s representative Abdulla Ameen said the party is ready to sign the voters’ list and that they want the election to proceed.

“We are confident we will win the election. So we are willing to proceed,” Ameen said.

He said the party has certain grievances regarding the conduct of the Elections Commission but said they want to focus on proceeding with the election for the time being. The party will provide the necessary support, Ameen said.

A senior official from JP said the party has also started signing the voters’ list and that they are signing not to endorse the authenticity of the list, but simply because they do not want to obstruct the election.

The candidates and their representatives are required to sign separate voters’ lists for a each constituency. The time needed to sign all constituency lists is yet unknown.