The emerging political party, The Democrats, has filed a complaint alleging that the list of its members has been leaked.
Former MDP Vice-President Mohamed Shifaz, who is in charge of forming The Democrats, said the government had received the list of individuals who signed up for The Democrats. According to The Democrats, the list consists of over 7,000 names.
Shifaz alleged that the government had been intimidating government employees who have joined The Democrats, as well as other ordinary members, by threatening to withhold the allocation of flats and land plots.
Responding to an inquiry by AVAS, the President of the Elections Commission, Fuwad Thawfeek, said such a complaint had been filed with the commission. The complaint is being investigated as a serious matter, he said.
"We will look into this matter and identify the source and department within the commission from which the document may have been leaked," Fuwad stated.
Fuwad further said he and other commission members urge the commission staff to refrain from sharing any documents with any agency or individuals outside the policies. He can make further comments regarding the matter after a thorough investigation clarifies the situation, he said.
Fuwad added that the list of individuals that signed up for The Democrats would be publicized after redacting some information and would open the list for public complaints. After considering the complaints received, anyone who should be removed from the list will be removed.
"It has been alleged that a similar list has been leaked before we publicized our list with redacted information. If that is indeed the case, it is a significant concern," he said.
The Democrats officially filed for registration on June 1. Fuwad said the party would be registered within two weeks if there are no issues with their member list.
