Joint Opposition calls for reappointment of Elections Commission members
The Joint Opposition said this in a statement released Friday night
Members of the Elections Commission at a press conference: (L-R) members Mohamed Shakeel, Ahmed Akram, Chairman Ahmed Shareef, Vice Chair Ahmjad Musthafa, and member Ismail Habeeb
The allied opponents of Maldives’ embattled President Abdulla Yameen have called on authorities to reappoint members to the Elections Commission, ahead of the upcoming presidential ballots.
The Joint Opposition said in a statement on Friday night that having an Elections Commission that all parties involved in the ballots believe to be independent is crucial to ensuring that they are free and fair, as said in the European Union Electoral Follow-up Mission’s (EU EFM) report.
The Joint Opposition also stresses that Maldivians must not accept the EU EFM’s demand for religious freedom and amendment of inheritance laws adhering to Islamic jurisprudence.
The statement further says that, aside from the aforementioned demands having to do with Islam in the Maldives, the EU EFM’s report makes important recommendations in regard to the state of democracy and civil freedom in the country.
The statement further calls on authorities to implement points highlighted in the report, with the explicit exception of its demand for religious freedom. The report made observations on previous ballots held in the Maldives and the procedures and circumstances surrounding them.
The allied parties referred to previous treaties and agreements Maldives signed that contained both clauses that were beneficial and ones that it could not culturally or morally agree with, to say that it must adopt the ones that are in its long-term interests.
The EU EFM's demands in regards to religion has been contentious to Maldivians, who recognize with a devout sense of national identity, and pro-government politicians and ones aligned with the allied opposition parties have taken a stand againt them.
