29th October 2008
The Elections Commission has announced the provisional results of the Presidential election run-off held yesterday.
According to the Elections Commission, Mr. Mohamed Nasheed, leader of the Maldives Democratic Party received 97,222 votes, while Mr. Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the incumbent President and leader of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party received 82,121 votes. Between Mr. Nasheed and President Gayoom, the figures translate into 54.21% and 45.79% respectively of the total valid votes cast in the poll yesterday.
The Commission said that 181,204 Maldivians or 85% of the eligible 209,294 voters had cast their ballots in the run-off. The Commission , however, noted that 1,861 votes were considered invalid.
President Gayoom heralded an era of democratic change in the Maldives with the launching of his democratic reform agenda in 2004 which he has rigorously pursued following a roadmap announced in 2006. The new constitution, which he ratified on 7th August 2008, prescribes a clear system of separation of powers, introduces a presidential system of governance with multiparty elections, creates a number of independent constitutional bodies such as a civil service commission, a human rights commission, an anti-corruption commission, a judicial service commission, an independent auditor-general, a prosecutor general as well as a parliament with strong oversight powers.
President Gayoom’s current term in office will end on 11th November 2008.
The second round of the first historic multiparty Presidential election is set to take place on 28 October 2008, as announced by the Elections Commission. The Commission is currently reviewing the electoral roll for necessary corrections and is taking considerable care to resolve procedural discrepancies at polling booths to ensure a peaceful, free and fair run-off. The Commission has also been conducting a voter education program over the TV and radio.
The Commission expects that the run-off will have an even greater voter turnout. For the run-off, United Kingdom has been added to the list of external polling stations to enable Maldivian citizens residing there to vote in the momentous election. Discussions were also held on the possibility of having a polling station in the Indian city of Bangalore to facilitate the Maldivian community in Bangalore and nearby areas to cast their ballot. However, a range of factors including the absence of a diplomatic mission in the city, which is a prerequisite under Indian regulations, has placed hurdles in setting up polling facilities in Bangalore.
Maldivians residing in Sri Lanka, India, Malaysia and Singapore were able to vote in the first round, adding significance to this year’s election as it was the first time diaspora voting was provided.
As the election date draws nearer, extensive campaigning is underway by the two Presidential candidates who secured the most votes in the first round: President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party and Mr. Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldivian Democratic Party. Supporters from both camps have clashed across the country including in the capital Male’.
Although these clashes have been contained, the Government has expressed concern over them as they threaten the culture of peace that has prevailed in the country.
The Government has persistently reiterated its commitment to ensure that the election process is completed peacefully in a free, fair and transparent manner.
The Interim Elections Commission has announced that the runoff for the Presidential election will be held on Tuesday 28th October, 2008, a day earlier than the date it announced initially.
According to the Interim Elections Commission, the date was shifted to avoid a clash with the date for GCE O/L examination in the country.
The interim results of the first ever Maldives multiparty Presidential election held on Wednesday, 8th October 2008, were announced on Thursday by the Interim Elections Commission. Contesting in the election were 6 candidates, 5 of whom were from different political parties. One was an independent candidate.
According to figures released by the Interim Elections Commission, 208,252 Maldivians were eligible to vote in the election.
President Gayoom of the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party secured 40.62% of the 177,802 ballots cast, while Mr. Mohamed Nasheed of the Maldivian Democratic Party obtained 25.07% and Dr. Hassan Saeed, the independent candidate received 16.78% of the votes. Mr. Gasim Ibrahim of Jumhooree Party had 15.35% of the votes while Mr. Umar Naseer of the Islamic Democratic Party and Mr. Ibrahim Ismail of the Social Liberal Party had 1.40% and 0.78% respectively.
The voter turnout stood at nearly 80 per cent.
Under the Maldives new constitution that was ratified by President Gayoom in August this year, the Presidential winner shall have more than 50% of the ballots cast, failing which there shall be a runoff between the two leading candidates.
The Interim Elections Commission has announced that a runoff election will be held on Wednesday, 29th October 2008.
8 October 2008
The Maldives will hold its first multiparty election today in compliance with Article 110 of the new Constitution that came into force on 7th August 2008.
The interim Elections Commission mandated with overseeing the conduct of the election has taken numerous steps to ensure a high level of voter confidence and turnout. These include updating and improving the mechanisms for voter registration and facilitating the submission of public complaints about discrepancies in the voter registry. The number of registered voters, according to the Commission, stands at 208, 252. The figure has now been published in the Gazette as specified by Article 9 (b) of the General Elections Act.
Polling stations based across all atolls in the Maldives will open at 0900hrs today and close at 2000 hrs. Counting of votes will commence at 2100 hrs. The results of each ballot box will be announced at the location of the ballot box immediately after the counting is completed. For the first time in history, voters outside the Maldives will be able to vote at polling stations in the Maldives diplomatic/consular Missions in Trivandrum, Colombo, Kuala Lumpur and Singapore.
International observer/assessment teams from the Commonwealth, the European Union and the United Nations are already in the country.
The election today will mark the apex of the Reform Agenda introduced four years ago by President Gayoom. Since then, the Maldives has moved swiftly towards a pluralistic society that embraces the core values of democracy and participatory governance.
The Government remains committed to ensuring a free and fair, and transparent election.
