MP Musthafa slams EC chief, calls him a 'slave' to President Yameen

MP Mohamed Musthafa has responded to reports of the Elections Commission investigating a case involving the ruling party and its primary ticket, by slamming the commission’s chief.

Musthafa described Elections Commissioner Ahmed Shareef to be a rubber stamp of incumbent President Abdulla Yameen's. The commission is investigating allegations that the ruling party had given its primary ticket to President Yameen unlawfully.

In a post on his Twitter account, Musthafa had attached a screencapture of a news article saying that the commission is investigating the matter. Musthafa had called on the commission to ‘stop with the drama’.

Musthafa’s tweet translates to ‘EC Shareef is a slave of [President] Yameen’s and there is no one in this country who does not know this, not even an insect. What are they pretending for? They know Yameen cannot win a fair election and they will likely not hold ballots this year. So, stop with the drama, and the circus acts’.

While Musthafa’s sentiments remain as such, they echo ongoing concern about the independence of the Elections Commission. Shareef had been a known supporter and associate of President Yameen’s even before his recent and expedited appointment to the helm of the commission.

The commission’s action since then, most recently threatening an opposition party with dissolvement if it allows its leader to compete in the ballots, has aggravated these concerns.