EC will not announce for LCE without equal campaigning

The Elections Commission has stated that it will not announce for elections in the local council election and women’s development committees if candidates cannot campaign equally. 

Commission Chairperson Ahmed Shareef, speaking with Sun last night, said that the law mandated the commission to ensure that there was a right environment for campaigning for all candidates. 

“So, if we are planning to hold the elections in a pandemic, it will obstruct the election, if all candidates are not permitted to campaign equally.” Said Shareef. 

Shareef also said that the responsibility of scheduling the election and how it is to be held was one mandated on the commission which cannot be conditioned on the decisions of another body. 

“A decision by HPA, or a decision to come from the HPA, in my view, is a challenge to hold the election.” Said Shareef. 

Shareef said that he will not announce for elections under HPA arrangements if equal opportunities to the campaign were not provided to all candidates.

The local council elections and the women's development committee elections, originally scheduled for April last year, was delayed under a special law in light of the COVID-19 situation in the Maldives. Under the law, only when state authorities determining that it was safe to hold the election and that there was no public health emergency or risk, could the election be held. 

The Parliament has now accepted a bill to bring forward the elections. The advancement of the election is framed in a way by shortening the timeframe for other election-related activities.

The Elections Commission is to commence work on holding the election within seven days of the bill passing the parliament. Policies and regulations set out by the Director-General of Public Health are to be followed by the Elections Commission for the work.