EC receives complaint accusing NDMA of attempting to rig ongoing polls

A complaint has been lodged at the Elections Commission of Maldives (EC) over accusations of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) attempting to interfere in the ongoing Malé City Mayor and Malé City Councilors by-election.

RaajjeMV has attained a copy of the complaint application.

The application notes that the government, led by the NDMA, was planning to carry out extensive campaign activities in the capital this afternoon in the name of “monitoring” the situation following the damage incurred by households due to the adverse weather conditions experienced on Friday. As such, officials from five state-owned companies are to be involved in this plan.

This plan has been alleged to be an opportunity to reach out to people and offer them promises in an attempt to influence the election process, and to bring out people to vote in support of the government.

Hence, EC has been requested to bring the matter to the spotlight before it is carried out, to stop such activities before they start and to launch an investigation into the case.

At a time NDMA has been accused of attempting to rig the polls, there have been formal complaints alleging that a political party has set up a call center at the social center.

EC’s findings so far indicate that administrative staff were present at social center.