‘They are going to rig it’: Maldives opposition warns against bid to sway September election
The opposition has accused the Maldives government of locking up most of the leaders who could challenge President Yameen’s bid for re-election
The opposition presidential candidate in the Maldives has said he does not expect a September election to be free and fair but trusted voters to decide on his challenge to President Abdulla Yameen, who imposed a state of emergency this year.
Yameen is seeking a second five-year term in the tropical tourist paradise riven by political instability since a police mutiny forced its first democratically elected leader, Mohamed Nasheed, to quit in 2012.
The Indian Ocean archipelago of 400,000 people has faced upheavals since February, when Yameen imposed the emergency to annul a Supreme Court ruling that quashed the convictions of nine opposition leaders, including Nasheed.
Veteran lawmaker “Ibu” Mohamed Solih, who is challenging Yameen in a coalition led by the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), spoke to 400 citizens resident in Sri Lanka on Monday.
“We are very worried about the situation,” said Solih, who was first elected to parliament in 1994.
Asked if he expected the election to be free and fair, he replied “No,” but added that the opposition placed “very much trust” in voters in its battle against the government.