The opposition coalition parties have refuted Elections Commission (EC) President Ahmed Shareef’s claim that some resorts did not want to place ballot boxes.

At a press conference on Sunday, Shareef said that while they discussed placing polling stations at resorts with 100 eligible voters working in them, 53% of those resorts said they did not want to place ballot boxes.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s deputy chairperson Ali Niyaz said that they have received information from a source inside the EC that no resort had refused to place ballot boxes.

Niyaz said that Shareef’s claim was an insult to the tourism industry and especially resort owners, and that if a resort refuses to places ballot boxes, then discussions should again be held with those resorts to allow a way for Maldivians working there to vote.

Political parties have also called on the EC to disclose names of the resorts that are refusing to place ballot boxes and some have called for those resorts to be penalized.

Niyaz also said they are going to file a case at the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) regarding Civil Service Commission (CSC) President Dr. Ali Shameem forcing commission members to work on re-registering voting locations of citizens in government offices.

He said that they have made a list of senior company officials forcing their employees to carry out re-registration work for the government.