The election con: gov’t excuses crumble under the weight of reality

The administration's push to synchronize elections is facing criticism as claims of social unrest and cost savings prove unfounded. Critics argue the government is manufacturing instability through political hiring sprees and purging competent staff while spending millions on campaign optics. Frequent elections currently serve as the only catalyst for public works, which often stall once the voting ends. Voters are now observing these discrepancies as they head to the polls.

Zunana Zalif, Raajje.mv | 3 އެޕްރީލު 2026 | ހުކުރު 11:08

President Muizzu shakes hands with Moosa Ali Jaleel, who will be running in the Local Council Election under PNC's ticket for Malé Mayor. | Mihaaru | Mihaaru

The administration’s grand narrative for syncing elections is rotting from the inside out. While they once preached that fewer trips to the ballot box would save us from social chaos and national instability, the reality on the ground tells a much more cynical story.

Imaginary chaos

The government and the main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) claimed multiple elections breed interpersonal conflict and unrest, yet with the vote just days away, the streets are remarkably peaceful. Despite the aggressive blizzard of banners and posters, the predicted social collapse hasn't happened. There are no brawls over coffee, no police intervention for physical altercations, and absolutely zero evidence that public harmony is at risk.

Manufactured unrest

Instead of civilian discord, the real "unrest" is being engineered by the state. Reports are flooding in of an unprecedented hiring spree where jobs are handed out for zero actual work. We are seeing a bloated administrative circus where managers are hired to supervise other managers, some of whom are reportedly illiterate. This farce has left veteran professionals and qualified graduates in distress as they are forced to answer to these new political appointees. Meanwhile, the administration is busy purging competent staff who don't toe the party line or shipping them off to remote locations. If harmony is deteriorating, it is the government holding the sledgehammer.

Phantom savings

The secondary excuse of cost-cutting has also evaporated. Experts have already exposed that synchronizing elections saves a laughable five laari per person. While preaching thriftiness, the government’s own extravagance is reaching new heights. Salary costs at some companies have ballooned from 27 million to over 40 million, while embassies and state enterprises are stuffed beyond capacity. Money is being funneled into repetitive, ceremonial foundation-stone laying that yields no actual output.

Million-USD optics

The "saving" narrative has been buried by the main ruling party’s massive campaign spending. Leaked chat logs and insider accounts reveal that expenditures aren't in the thousands, but in the millions. You only need to look at the sheer scale of posters for candidates like Moosa Ali Jaleel in Malé and Hulhumalé to see where the money is really going.

Election-day miracles

It turns out that frequent elections are actually the only thing that gets the government moving. Just a week before the vote, we’ve seen a suspicious flurry of contracts awarded and foundation stones laid.

These aren't mere coincidences; they are desperate responses to an approaching deadline. Most of these projects will likely never progress past the foundation stage, we would only know for sure if another election were coming up.

In fact, new stones are being laid on top of the ones from the parliamentary elections simply because the government needs to look busy. Without the immediate need to beg for votes, these projects would sit stagnant, and the leadership would have no reason to care about the public's favor.