Police raid opposition party on eve of Maldives polls

Police in the Maldives raided the opposition campaign headquarters yesterday on the eve of a presidential election that international monitors fear will be rigged.

Police stormed the Maldivian Democratic Party office in Male in the afternoon and searched the premises without a warrant, the party said.

Police said they acted to prevent “illegal activities”.

An official outside the building said party workers were prevented from going into the campaign headquarters but there were no arrests.

Campaigning ended at 6pm, after which time any canvassing was considered a criminal offence.

The police action followed a street rally by party supporters carrying party flags.

President Abdulla Yameen’s supporters took to the streets in another part of the capital.

Earlier in the day, the Asian Network for Free Elections said the political environment was heavily tipped in favour of Mr Yameen.

It said it “denounces recent developments, which ensure that the coming presidential election of September 23 cannot be considered free and fair”.

Although it was recognised by the Maldivian Elections Commission, with accreditation to monitor the voting, the network said its staff were denied visas to enter the country.

Some international journalists have also been denied access to cover the polls.

“It appears that Maldivian authorities are granting visas only to observers and monitors they perceive as friendly, while using our name and that of other applicants in an attempt to gain international legitimacy,” the network said.

Former Maldivian president Mohamed Nasheed urged the international community not to accept the outcome of what he said would be a flawed ballot.

Mr Nasheed, the country’s first democratically elected leader, said in Sri Lanka on Friday that Mr Yameen would lose the election but would “hold on to power” after rigging the electoral process.

The election monitor asked foreign governments to be vigilant on the election and predicted “sombre events” for the 340,000 Maldivians.

Mr Nasheed was forced to withdraw from the contest after the election commission disqualified him because of a 2015 terrorism conviction.

The United Nations said Mr Nasheed’s conviction and 13year jail term were politically motivated and asked Mr Yameen’s government to overturn the decision and pay him reparations.

Mr Nasheed has lived abroad since travelling out of the country on prison leave. His party is the only challenger in tomorrow’s vote, after it secured the support of the other opposition parties.

He has backed a relatively unknown politician, Ibrahim Solih, 54, to try to defeat Mr Yameen, who came to power after a controversial run-off against Mr Nasheed in the 2013 election.

The second round of voting was then delayed, giving Mr Yameen more time to pull together a coalition.

The US and EU have expressed concern over Mr Yameen’s actions, and rights activists have called for sanctions on the president and his aides.