Breaking News: Elections Slated For 4 October

The Maldives' new elections commission on Monday announced a provisional elections date of 4 October, leaving less than a month until the country's first ever multi-party presidential polls.

The date is contingent on the Presidential Elections Bill and Supreme Court nominations passing a parliamentary vote by the end of this week.

And the commission plans to vet candidates' applications to stand by 24 September, with applications opening next week.

"We can give [candidates] ten days" to campaign, said new elections commissioner Mohamed Ibrahim.

"When we took over, a lot of work had been done by the previous Elections Commission. But there's a lot more that needs to be done," Ibrahim said.

The timeframe requires changes to the draft Presidential Elections Bill, under debate in the Majlis (parliament) on Monday.

And the five-member commission, the first independent body to oversee elections in the country, does not yet know what groups will be observing the polls.

It is the first time in his 30 year rule that incumbent President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom will face opponents at the polls, but two political parties have cast doubts over whether there is time to prepare for a free and fair election.

The new commission, voted in last week, is currently working to translate the existing, provisional voter list into Dhivehi, having received 702 complaints on the list initially released by the previous elections commission in English.

"Vote counting centres in the atolls have been decided," said Ibrahim. He said work is underway to establish a system for Maldivians abroad to vote.

Seven candidates have already said they plan to challenge President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom at the polls, with the first, former attorney general Dr Hassan Saeed, announcing his candidacy last year.

Former finance minister Gasim Ibrahim, of the Republican Party, Mohamed Nasheed (Anni) of the largest opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) of the Social Liberal Party and Umar Naseer of the Islamic Democratic Party are also actively campaigning.

But equal coverage on state media does not officially begin until the campaign period is announced.

Past elections had been held under a one-candidate referendum system, and overseen by an elections commissioner appointed by the president.

The elections will be the culmination of a four-year reform process which saw a new constitution ratified on 7 August.

Reforms followed international criticism over a crackdown on widespread protests in 2003, sparked by the death of prisoner Evan Naseem at the hands of security forces.

www.minivannews.com
By Judith Evans in Malé
September 8, 2008