MDP council asked to resolve Faresmaathoda primary dispute
Ballot boxes for the Thinadhoo South constituency were also recounted after complaints.
22 Jan 2019, 9:00 AM
The Maldivian Democratic Party’s election complaints committee on Monday decided to ask the party’s national council to resolve disputes over the parliamentary primary for the Faresmaathoda constituency.
Three losing candidates filed complaints alleging the secrecy of the ballot was compromised as several people on Rathafandhoo island had showed their marked ballots to people outside the polling station, the MDP noted in a statement.
It was also alleged that a ballot paper was removed from a box on Rathafandhoo and torn up, after which the voter was allowed to cast another ballot. Other complaints included double voting by one person and assisted voting on behalf of a healthy person for a box at the Aminiya School in Malé.
An MDP member who testified to the committee alleged that another party had spent MVR600,000 (US$39,000) to elect a preferred candidate. On the day before the polls, MVR5,000 per household was distributed on Rathafandhoo, the committee was told.
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