President of the Elections Commission, Ahmed Shareef Adam has stated that an election can only be won by winning majority votes, and that winning does not depend on any actions of the commission. Shareef made the statement in response to the opposition’s accusations that the commission was aiding main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to win the upcoming local council election.
Opposing Progressive Party of Maldives has stated that the commission has not been granting equal opportunities to campaign for the election. The opposition further accused that the commission members were providing advantages to MDP in order to protect their positions on the commission.
Responding to the allegations, Shareef said the only factor that can influence the result of the election is the number of votes won by each party. The commission plays no hand in the amount of votes that are received by the parties, he added. He called on the parties to practice safety measures while campaigning during the current pandemic situation.
