Jameel accuses President Muizzu of seeking to abolish atoll councils and deprive atoll communities of their constitutional power

Former Vice President Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed on Tuesday accused President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu of seeking to abolish atoll councils and deprive island communities of their constitutional powers.

Speaking to reporters after submitting concerns to the Election Commission (EC) on behalf of the People’s National Front (PNF), Jameel said the party was alarmed by the use of eFaas for candidate registration in the upcoming local council elections.

Jameel, a close associate of former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, said the elections were being held under the full control of President Muizzu, whose objective was to weaken the voice of the people in the atolls.

“We are talking about an election under his supervision. Their goal is to deprive the people of Maldives of their power. Deprivation of the power of the people of the atolls. Deprivation of the power of the island people,” Jameel said.

He added that the PNF believes the ruling PNC is attempting to bar many candidates from contesting by imposing technical hurdles.

Former Technology Minister Maleeh Jamal, also speaking on behalf of PNF, said the government lacks public support and is trying to suppress voter turnout. He claimed the government had blocked the registration of a political party and was now using eFaas to make candidate registration more difficult.

“President Yameen wants as many people as possible to participate in this election. The purpose is for many candidates to come out and defeat this government,” Maleeh said.

He said most PNF-backed candidates are independents, who must gather support from 50 individuals and submit verified forms through eFaas. The verification process is time-consuming, and the short deadline makes it difficult to complete, he said.

PNF has submitted a proposal to the EC requesting that supporters be allowed to fill and upload their forms directly to ease the process.