Nasheed and MDP heavily influence the imminent local island and atoll election by using state funds and state machinery to travel and campaign in each and every of the 202 inhabited islands within a matter of few weeks

Elections alone do not assure democracy since dictators can use the resources of the state to tamper with the election process
The Universal declaration on free and fair election state that the government of the state should; provide for the free functioning of political parties, regulate the funding of political parties and electoral campaigns, ensure the separation of party and State, and establish the conditions for competition in legislative elections on an equitable basis.
All hopes of a free and fair local election getting carried out in the Maldives is lost. The President is using state resources, and funds to travel around the country to almost all the 202 inhabited islands within a matter of weeks. In each trip, a huge team of loyalists, party officials and MP’s join him.
Travelling in the Maldives is costly. For each and every trip; the President and his team flies first class and in some cases hire the costly air-taxi to travel to some of the islands like Fuvahmulah.
Opposition politicians and the people of the country watch corruptive acts of their President silently and helplessly. Over the past 3 years the man who convinced the people; that the former President is a Dictator, has turned himself into a ruthless Dictator who puts everybody including MP’s in solitary confinement if they utter even one word against his foul plays.
Days before starting the campaign; he got the annual budget through the Parliament and is using it to make these expensive trips, covering several islands on a daily basis . There is no doubt that Public money and the state coffer is used for MDP’s local election campaign but the country conveniently for him, has been without an Auditor General for sometime now. The current President influenced people to vote against the Former President in the Presidential election after getting the former Auditor General a loyalist of his to generate a 25 page long report about the institutions under President Maumoon, within just days of the Presidential election. The same man as President; is using government transport including the Presidential Ferry(a high speed cruise fit for a king), and other resources to campaign for his party.
The MP’s and MDP officials that join him in his trips in their speeches to the islanders warn the people and the President himself keeps saying to the islanders; that to get any kind of development for their islands they have to elect the MDP candidates for the Island and Atoll Councils.
This kind of active engagement in corruption; right under our nose; by the President is ignored by the Parliament responsible for making him accountable. He has covered the majority of the inhabited islands within a matter of few weeks, each visit costing the people millions. Whichever island he visits he promises them public infra structures like sewerage systems, harbours and promises to fulfil other needs of the people that needs addressing. In the case of many of these islands including Fuvahmulah the same promises made during the current round of visits were made in 2009 in the eve of the Parliamentary election.
As President he is treating the money in the state coffers as his and his party’s own; their’s to use for campaign trips to and from each and every inhabited island of the country each visit costing the people millions. The President and his officials on each and every visit are also using the state machinery including the Maldives Police Force, Maldives Defence, Atoll Offices, Island Offices, and government venues. With promises ranging from fixing of broken bridges, roads and harbours, to sewerage systems and airports, the President and his party MDP officials are engaging in acts corruption that are chargeable in any Court of Law where democracy works. A Justice system with a Supreme Court Bench and Judges hand-picked by the President is giving a blind eye to his crimes.
Those who used to be vocal against him in the Parliament including MP’s Yamin and Gasim are silent because they have faced arbitrary arrests and have been thrown into solitary confinement recently for doing so. However we still have the option of appealing to the international communities.
We call on the Maldives Election Commission and the Maldives Human Rights Commission to actively engage in stopping this shameful act of corruption. It is a shame on us the people, the country and the Institutions; that we remain quite in the face of such blatant rampant corruption. If you are silent in fear of the madness of Dictator Nasheed and his wrath; we appeal to you to at least seek help from the international community including the UN, US, UK, UNHRC, AHRC.