Supreme Court concludes first hearing on case to annul election result
The case was filed by President Abdulla Yameen after his election loss
People gather outside the Supreme Court during the hearing on Sunday
Supreme Court has scheduled the second hearing on the case to annul the 2018 presidential election result for 10:30am on Monday.
The court held the first hearing on President Abdulla Yameen’s case on Sunday from 1pm to 4:30pm.
At Sunday’s hearing, attorneys of the opposition coalition, whose candidate defeated President Yameen in the election, highlighted that the President has not presented any evidence to back his claim of electoral fraud.
While President Yameen initially conceded defeat after losing to opposition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, he later began accusing the Elections Commission of rigging the election.
His Supreme Court case highlights three main allegations, one being that markers at the polling stations had disappearing ink, the second being that rings with hidden markers were used, and the third being that marks made in the ballot papers could be disappeared when heated.
At the hearing, Hussain Shameem, who is representing the Elections Commission, said that President Yameen’s claims were purely imaginative and that none of the commission members or officials have ever used rings with hidden markers.
Speaking to the press after the hearing, attorney Hisaan Hussain said that President Yameen’s allegations have no supporting evidence and that he presented them to court because he could not accept his loss.
Also, at the hearing, attorneys representing the opposition coalition objected to President Yameen presenting secret testimonies to back his claims. The presiding judges did not decide on the matter at the hearing.
