Chief Justice assures MMC that obstacles surrounding coverage of election will be rectified

Maldives Media Council (MMC) has stated that the Chief Justice has assured the council that he will rectify the issue surrounding the coverage of the presidential election, prohibiting members of the media to have on their persons, cameras or mobile phones while near the ballot stations, during the election day on October 19th.

President of MMC Husham Mohamed told Sun today that the Elections Commission’s (EC) announcement following the Supreme Court ruling and guidelines that the members of the media, including elections officials, shall not be allowed to take any material near the balloting station, except a pen to mark their ballot, greatly inhibits the responsibility of the media to cover the election.

“Even if they carry the cameras on election day, the reporter will not be able to carry out his responsibility. They have to stay 100 feet away from the ballot box. So there are obstacles to carry out the responsibilities of the press,” Husham said.

He said that upon their request to address the issues, the Chief Justice Ahmed Faiz Hussain has assured them that they will soon be addressed.

In a press conference on Friday, EC member Ali Mohamed Manik said that working under the guidelines provided by the Supreme Court, the EC must ensure that individuals do not take any material near the ballot station, except a pen to mark their ballot.