Madulu Blog

Press Release

4 August 2008 – The Go Vote Campaign of civil society organizations expresses disappointment that the voter registry published by the Office of the Commissioner of Elections has only been opened for a ten day verification period, despite indications to civil society that there would be 45 days for verification.

The Go Vote campaign understands that an accurate voter registry is fundamental to a free and fair election. The registry, publicized on July 31st closes to the public on 10^th August, giving just ten days for the country’s approximately 200,000 eligible voters to verify their details.

The campaign calls for the deadline to be extended to 25^th August, on the condition that the timing of the presidential elections and the establishment of an Elections Commission and Supreme Court are not further delayed.

We believe an extension of the deadline to 25^th August should be manageable within the current time constraints.

The Go Vote Campaign also calls for the following issues to be addressed immediately:

• The voter registry is only available in English. We recommend that it be immediately translated into Dhivehi, and the Dhivehi version to be made available both online and in the form of hard copies, particularly for the use of island communities.

• Even though voter registry is available online, limited access to Internet in rural areas acts as a barrier for island communities to verify the voter registry. While the Go Vote Campaign has been informed that the voter registry has been sent to Island Offices, we are concerned that access to voter registry may be limited on some islands. The Go Vote Campaign recommends the voter registry be made available in hard copy at prominent public places on larger islands, enabling islands with larger populations to gain easier access. Furthermore, we recommend prominent links be placed to the voter registry in the website of the Office of the Commissioner of Elections to increase accessibility.

• The toll-free phone number established for the public to register inaccuracies on the voter list is only operating five telephone lines. The Go Vote Campaign recommends the number of phone lines be increased in order to be confident that all complaints will be dealt with.

The Go Vote campaign is a joint effort of civil society organisations Hama Jamiyya, Madulu, Maldives Aid, Maldivian Detainee Network, Open Society Association, Rights for All, Strength of Society and Transparency Maldives. The campaign is endorsed by Maldivian Civil Society Network (MCSN).