Blue VS yellow: election fever comes to a head
03 Feb 2011, 7:46 PM
Streets of blue and yellow flags and posters of politicians carpeting every available surface leave little doubt that election fever has hit Male’, ahead of the country’s first local council elections.
Maldivians will go to the polls on Saturday to elect local councilors in the third major election since the introduction of multi-party democracy.
Candidates will compete for nearly 1100 positions across island, atoll and Male’ city councils.
According to data from the Elections Commission, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) will be fielding approximately 930 candidates, and the opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) around 880. Of these, the MDP is fielding almost 60 women, the DRP 80. The religiously conservative Adhaalath Party is fielding 53 candidates, including two women, while the Jumhoree Party has 46 candidates and the People’s Alliance (PA) eight candidates, the same number as the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP). The Vice President’s Gaumy Iththihaad Party (GIP) has 10 candidates.
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