The opposing Peoples' National Congress (PNC)'s Parliamentary Group Leader and Maduvvary MP, Adam Shareef Umar has requested the Parliament to look into state resources being misused for election purposes.
In a letter addressed to Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, Shareef said foreign influence had been exerted on all elections since the 2018 Presidential Election. He said the public is also highly concerned that state resources and funds are utilized for campaign purposes.
Shareef noted that while the current administration came to power by promising a zero-tolerance stance on corruption, state resources are utilized for by-elections and internal elections of the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) by the same people. Government buildings and vessels were used to campaign for the recent Komandoo by-election, and significant development projects were announced ahead of the election to influence the outcome of the vote, he noted. He described the now-stopped linking of upper and lower Komandoo as an example of such a project.
'Similarly, the public and even some MDP parliamentarians believe SME loans were issued such that it clears the path for specific candidates to be elected,' he said, adding that the administration had not refuted the claims.
Shareef further said the organizational structures of certain state-owned companies were changed to include new positions that served no purpose, in a bid to elect specific candidates.
In his letter, Shareef asked the relevant Parliament committee to look into the misuse of state resources, the announcement of major projects with the intent to influence vote outcome, issuance of loans, and new appointments, so that the matter becomes clear to the people.
