Second round of voting in L. Maavah: Fenaka Deputy Manager instructs 12 employees hired during MDP administration to abstain from voting

It has come to light that Abubakar Ahmed, the Deputy Manager of the Fenaka office in L. Maavashu, instructed 12 employees of the branch to abstain from voting in the second round of the Women's Development Committee (WDC) by-election scheduled for Saturday.

An employee at the Fenaka office in Maavashu told RaajjeMV that 12 staff members were instructed not to participate in Saturday's vote. The directive was reportedly issued during individual meetings held at the office starting Friday afternoon.

Information has been received that the meeting with staff was conducted by the Fenaka office's Deputy Manager Abubakuru Ahmed, Assistant Manager Adam Abdurrahman, and Supervisor Abdul Aziz Moosa. RaajjeMV has also learned that employees were required to leave their mobile phones outside before entering the meeting.

The employee stated that during the meeting, they were instructed not to allow the 12 staff members or their families to vote. According to the employee, Aboobakuru Ahmed, the head of the local Fenaka office, claimed these directives were issued by the Fenaka head office.

It is noteworthy that these 12 employees joined Fenaka during the previous MDP administration. However, RaajjeMV has learned that none of these individuals participated in any anti-government activities during the recent elections.

This development comes at a time when questions are being raised regarding the integrity and freedom of the electoral process in the Maldives. The opposition has condemned the move, alleging it is a low-level attempt by the government to directly influence the vote.

Voting for the second round of the Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections—necessitated by tie votes or other factors following the initial polls on the 4th of this month—is scheduled to take place on Saturday from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm.