Maldivians must set a record for most votes against a single candidate: Hisaan

Maldives’ presidential elections this year, slated for September 23rd, must set a record for one where candidate receives unprecedentedly massive rejection, says opposition campaign agent Hisaan Hussain.

Speaking at a campaign event in Dhiggaru island of Meemu atoll, as part of the Joint Opposition campaign team’s trips to Meemu and Vaavu atolls, Hisaan said that incumbent President Abdulla Yameen does not have the trust of the public.

In her speech, she called on supporters of the Joint Opposition to 'vote against the government, to stand up against tyranny, and to ensure that these elections set a global record for most percentage of votes against a single candidate'.

Hisaan, a prominent lawyer herself, said that the government now seeks to have the elections delayed in order to influence its results, expressing her belief that ‘the Maldivian people will not allow this’.

In this regard, she referred to Defence Minister Adam Shareef Umar’s announcement that there have been reports of a plot to create ‘disturbances’ that pose a threat to national security, claiming that this is a blatant attempt to obstruct the ballots.

She further noted that there are procedures that need to be followed if such reports are true, which includes sharing it with the parliament and its relevant committees. Defence Minister Shareef had announced this through a post on his Facebook account.

In addition to north-Henveiru constituency MP Abdulla Shahid, a number of other politicians have criticized the minister’s actions, particularly him sharing news of such dire attempts at ‘national security’ through social media.

Fellow lawmaker Mariya Ahmed Didi called for his resignation while opposition leader, and former president, Mohamed Nasheed said that Minister Shareef is acting out of legal ambit and is in violation of both laws and military procedure.