Galolhu South MP Meekail Ahmed Naseem has filed a complaint with the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) following a decision to hold the party’s chairperson election at party halls in five islands.
In a letter addressed to MDP’s Interim Chairperson, Abdul Ghafoor Moosa, he noted that while the party's elections committee had first decided to hold the vote at schools in every island, the committee’s chair later moved the polling stations for five islands to the party’s halls.
According to Meekail, the islands affected by this change are Faafu Feeali, Laamu Isdhoo, Laamu Kalaidhoo, Gaaf Alif Villingili, and the Mathimaradhoo ward of Laamu Gan.
The chairperson candidate expressed concern over the deviation from the established policy of using schools as neutral polling stations—a practice implemented across the rest of the country to ensure the voting and counting processes remain fair and democratic. He argued that changing the venues undermines the integrity of the election.
The MP further highlighted that during his campaign visit to Faafu Feeali, supporters of his opponent openly claimed they would engage in ballot stuffing. He asserted that moving the polling station under such circumstances facilitates such irregularities and urged the party to rectify the matter immediately.
Meekail is contesting against former President Mohamed Nasheed in the MDP chairperson election scheduled for this Friday. Voting is set to take place from 2:00 pm to 8:00 pm.
