Three complaints received regarding Komandoo by-election: NCB

National Complaints Bureau (NCB) has said it has thus far received three complaints regarding the upcoming Komandoo by-election.

The Komandoo parliament seat became vacant when MP Hussain Waheed passed away in December. The Elections Commission has announced the by-election will take place on February 5. Three candidates are vying in the election: Mohamed Rashid from the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Moosa Fathuhy from the opposing Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), and Abdul Hannan Idris from the newly formed Maldives National Party (MNP).

Speaking to AVAS on Sunday, the Legal Director of the Elections Commission, Ibrahim Hafiz, who heads NCB, said all three complaints regarding the by-election were submitted by PPM.

Hafiz said two complaints submitted last Thursday were regarding statements made by the party's competitors during a campaign event. He said PPM had been informed that the bureau was looking into the matter.

A third complaint was submitted by PPM on Saturday, said Hafiz. However, the complaint cannot be addressed at this time, he said, as the complaint was regarding Elections Commission officials who will be active during the Komandoo by-election scheduled for February 5.

'We have not yet finalized officials for any locations. As the complaint was regarding officials who have not been finalized, we cannot, at this time, address the complaint. We believe the officials will be finalized sometime tomorrow, and we will share the information with political parties to identify any concerns they may have regarding the officials,' Hafiz said.

Hafiz further noted that all complaints submitted at the National Complaints Bureau would receive a response within five days if no further investigation is needed.

The administration has announced and implemented several projects in the Komandoo constituency ahead of the vote. The opposition has said the announcement of new projects is an attempt by the government to influence the election outcome. However, the Elections Commission has said the commission could not take the lead in investigating such matters and that they can explore the issue if a complaint is submitted.