Former President Abdulla Yameen has accused the Elections Commission (EC) of obstructing the formation of his People's National Front (PNF) party after facing government influence.
Speaking at a rally last night, Yameen said the EC has required every person who fills a membership form to join the PNF to include his or her mother's name on the form. This was imposed as a nuisance to the party, he said.
Parties that receive funding from the state budget are not required to submit forms with the name of the new member's mother, Yameen said. The requirement was senseless, he said.
Yameen alleged that government influence was behind the EC's actions.
"Because people in the government at the moment are finding it difficult that we're forming the party, they have exerted influence. Elections is accepting the influence. I don't understand why they're doing this. It's just tyranny, maliciousness," Yameen said.
Yameen called the requirement for members to fill their mother's name as the main obstacle to forming the PNF. The EC could be sued but there would not be any legal remedy, he said. The EC was imposing burdens that were not explicitly stated in law, Yameen said.
"What kind of thing are they doing, acting in different ways for different people in such an uncivilized manner when they got the power," Yameen said, criticizing the EC.
Criticizing the EC, Yameen also said that the commission has taken PNF's color. The law does not grant the discretion for the EC to hold on to a particular color, Yameen said, adding that the law instead allows parties to choose their own color.
