Police raid hindered campaign efforts, says MDP

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has on Thursday said that the police had confiscated equipment to be used in the party's campaigns, and in doing hindered their efforts to solidify support for the upcoming local council elections.

A statement from the party said that the police’s warrant to search an established rally site, currently being used as the headquarters for its campaign preparations on Wednesday, was baseless and a ‘cowardly’ attempt to frighten supporters and silence opposition.

Officers raided the two-story building hours after warning the public to ‘not engage in acts, physical and verbal, that diminish the reverence of visiting dignitaries’, on the grounds that the MDP had prepared and stored banners or posters that depict criticism of impending government dealings with Saudi Arabia.

President Abdulla Yameen has announced a controversial USD 10 billion project in Faafu Atoll, that involves selling it to the Islamic kingdom.

A letter from the Criminal Court read that the warrant was issued based on a report prepared by the Maldives Police Service (MPS). However, despite the police having visibly removed several items from the premises, they had not announced whether or not they had acquired the target of their operation.

MDP’s statement maintains that the headquarters had not stored any items like those described in the warrant, and that the operation an attempt to legitimize and mask deliberate hindrance to its campaign.

The Local Council Elections are scheduled for April 15^th, though initially ballots were to be cast on January 14^th. It was delayed after the ruliing Progressive Party of Maldives' faction led by President Yameen pursued a case at the Civil Court on the grounds that they had lost their membership database.

The court had ruled in favour of the party and ordered that the elections be held on a date that allows PPM’s candidates adequate time to campaign and prepare for the ballots. This verdict is in line with another clause in the Local Council Elections Act which explicitly stresses that candidates must have adequate preparation time before contesting the elections.

Foreigner arrested for taking photos of police raid, handed over to immigration