The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives’ claim last week that conditions in the Maldives are conducive to free and fair elections ‘evokes disbelief’, several civil society groups have said.

This was said in a joint statement released by Women & Democracy, Voice of Women, Maldivian Democracy Network, Uthema, and Hope for Women.

The groups say that they have been working to assess whether such an environment exists and that the commission’s assurance is inconsistent with ‘available information and evidence’.

The groups called on the commission to reassess the situation, and expressed 15 points of concern; including the fact that a known supporter of the government heads the commission and that the re-registration process is marred with allegations of fraud.

These points of concern also includes the fact that the Transparency Maldives released a statement highlighting issues related to the elections.