Riyaz Rasheed boycotts election advisory committee

Former Vilufushi MP Riyaz Rasheed, a politician from the Jumhoory Party (JP), walked out of the third meeting of the national advisory committee on the presidential election on Monday, accusing the Elections Commission (EC) of refusing to allow him to raise concerns over alleged attempts by state-owned enterprises to influence the upcoming election.

Riyaz accused SOEs of aiding the current administration’s re-election campaign. He singled out Fenaka Corporation, which he accused of “doing the bidding of the president 24/7.”

He made the allegations during the three minutes each committee member received to make their statement.

When the three minutes allocated to Riyaz ran out, EC’s vice chairman Ismail Habeeb asked him to conclude his statement.

“I do not want another opportunity. I will only attend meetings of this committee if the commission allows me to address these concerns. I believe this needs to be heard,” responded Riyaz.

He said he does not believe he needs to take part in the committee if he isn’t allowed to raise such concerns, and walked out of the meeting.

Habeeb said he wanted to respond to Riyaz’s accusations, but he did not wait to listen.

Habeeb said that the committee must discuss relevant business, and complaints must be made through proper chanels.

“Here, you address the members of this committee. This is not a meeting to communicate to the public. If we are to stick to the rules, we cannot give a particular member more talk time than is set,” he said.

The advisory committee is composed of representatives from relevant institutions, as well as political parties contesting the election.