The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) today (January 28) accused the Elections Commission (EC) of facilitating things in favor of the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) in the April local council elections.

The MDP spokesperson for the council elections, Abdulla Waheed, told a news conference that the EC was acting in a way that favors the government candidates and this prevents free and fair elections.

"We believe the EC is doing many things in favor of the government candidates in connection with the elections. These things are being done in this way to prevent a free and fair election," he said.

When the MDP accused the PNC of accessing the election data, Waheed said the EC had said that only those given permission by the commission could access the data. He said PNC was accessing the data with the EC authorization.

Waheed called on the EC to stop favoring the ruling party and ensure fairness.

Meanwhile, the MDP has requested an extension of 10 days for nominations due to difficulties encountered by candidates.

The current deadline for nominations is 3:00 pm on February 1.

This year, candidates have to submit all documents and pay administrative fees through the EC's main portal.