Serious efforts by all relevant state institutions are required to combat vote buying practices in the Maldives, the European Union (EU) Elections Observation Mission (EOM) which observed the 22 March parliamentary election has said.
The EU EOM’s final report of the 2014 parliamentary election published today stated that vote-buying and bribery of voters were widespread practices during the election and that it undermined the core of the democratic election.
“To combat vote buying, Police and other state agencies in cooperation with EC should prioritize monitoring, investigation and prosecution of all reported cases of vote buying before and after elections,” said the EU EOM in its recommendations to the Parliament, Elections Commission (EC) and the Police.
The mission also said that Maldives should adopt legislation that clearly defines the division of competences of independent institutions, enact comprehensive regulations to ensure accountability and transparency of campaigns and political party financing, strengthen media freedom and promote the participation of women in public life.
The EU Election Observation Mission also recommended the Elections Commission to review the operation of the existing complaints and appeals mechanism to ensure effective dispute resolution process.
The European Union Election Observer Mission dispatched to observe the 22 March 2014 Maldives Parliamentary Election was headed by Slovakian Member of the European Parliament and former Slovakian Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduard Kukan. The mission is the first EU EOM to observe an election in the Maldives.