Public confidence in Elections Commission declining, new survey reveals
Democracy surveys conducted by the International Republican Institute show that public confidence in the Election Commission is declining.
By
Mariyam Umna Ismail
Confidence in the Elections Commission (EC) is declining among the people ahead of the September 9 presidential election, according to a survey conducted by Transparency Maldives.
Transparency’s pre-election assessment of the presidential election was released on Sunday.
The main findings of the survey:
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The electoral legal framework provides the 'minimum' freedom requirements for fair, free and credible elections
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The Elections Commission, like previous elections, has proven its technical ability to conduct polling in a reliable and transparent manner
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However, beyond the direct polling issues, there are major challenges to ensuring that the election is fair, free and trustworthy
Political parties that provided information to the survey say there is influence over the Elections Commission. Some of the respondents to the survey also said that the commission is also influenced by political parties in some matters such as registration and de-registration of members.
In addition, democracy surveys conducted by the association and polls by the International Republican Institute show that public confidence in the Elections Commission is declining. They include:
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In 2013, 74% of respondents had confidence in EC
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Last year, that number fell to 43%
Noting the statistics, Transparency Maldives said:
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As the election approaches, political parties have accused the Elections Commission of being under political influence
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Although the Elections Commission does conduct a totally free and fair election like previous elections, questioning the independence of the commission by political parties in the run-up to the elections will open up space for people to question the outcome of the elections
