Asma says exclusion led to Maafannu loss vote
Following the defeat, an audio recording in which Asma criticised the government was leaked.
Asma Rasheed, Member of Parliament for Maafannu Central, has said the government failed to secure the Maafannu Central seat in the local council elections after she was excluded from the PNC campaign and her assistance was not sought.
According to provisional results released by the Election Commission, MDP candidate Aishath Hana won the seat with a margin of 400 votes.
The results show that PNC candidate Asiyath Reesa Mohamed received 570 votes, accounting for 32 per cent, while Hana secured 943 votes, representing 54 per cent. Voter turnout stood at 2,118 out of 3,862 registered voters, or 55 per cent.
Following the defeat, an audio recording in which Asma criticised the government was leaked. Two members of her family were dismissed after the leak. Among them was her sister, Dr Salma Rasheed, Maldives’ envoy to the United Nations. Her position has since been reinstated.
In an interview with Dhauru on Wednesday, Asma said she remains with the PNC and attributed the loss to her exclusion from the campaign and the campaign team’s decision not to seek her support.
She said the party ticket was awarded to Reesa without a primary, following decisions taken by certain individuals within the party without consultation. She added that names of other potential candidates were discussed.
Asma said that after Reesa received the ticket, she had informed her of her willingness to provide support.
However, she said the campaign team did not accept her involvement and instructed that individuals associated with her should not approach the campaign.
Local Government Authority Chief Executive Officer Mohamed Nimal was appointed as the campaign head for the Maafannu Central constituency.
Asma alleged that Nimal had an additional objective, stating that he intended to position his son for a parliamentary seat from the constituency in the future.
She further stated that the campaign focused on other priorities rather than the council election.
Asma said these matters were not known to the President.
