Elections Commission of Maldives has assured although the National Complaints Bureau set up for the presidential election received 423 complaints, none of them is serious enough to change the outcome of the results.
President of the Elections Commission Ahmed Shareef said, prior to the announcement of the official result of the presidential election, the commission attended to 229 complaints. However, Ahmed Shareef reiterated none of the complaints had issues that could change the outcome of the election results.
The president of the electoral body added the slight difference in figures of the final results can be attributed to the fact the result tallying was done manually. However, he noted no requests have been filed, demanding a recount of any ballot box.
At the press conference, Ahmed Shareef denied rumours that members of the Elections Commission were influenced by outside parties. Shareef said such allegations were levelled against some members of the commission in the run-up to the election, including allegations that some commissioners accepted bribes. Adamantly denying the allegations, Ahmed Shareef maintained all commissioners worked in accordance with relevant laws and regulations, which resulted in the conduction of a free, fair and a credible election.
Noting the defamation faced on social media platforms including death threats, Shareef said it was with the security provided by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) the commissioners assured their safety in the run-up to the election.
Ahmed Shareef added the September 23 polls was the most peaceful election conducted in Maldives. This sentiment is echoed by both local and international monitors, who observed the 2018 Presidential Election.