Thursday 31 July 2008

DO Review

Will the booze seized in Fuahmulah be destroyed or consumed?
According to local reports, police in Fuahmulah, in Gnaviyani Atoll, have confiscated 30 cases of beer and 60 liquor bottles which were transported to the island on board a local cargo vessel. Acting on a tip-off from the public, police confiscated the alcohol stock whilst they were being off-loaded from MV Nirvana yesterday morning. The stock was loaded to the vessel as a property of Mohamed Musthafa, Beehanige, Fuahmulah, who is now under police custody reports say. read & comment

DO Review

Hypocrisy and preparing for a good retirement
Do you remember the week before last when the alliance made a call on the man in the white house? Kutti Nasheed (Info & Legal Reform Minister) stated the next day that Ibra was in fact a 'hypocrite' for appearing outside and lobbying, because he 'knew' from a meeting that the ‘biggest liar of all’ Golhaabo, was going to ratify the constitutional amendment on the 30th July. read & comment
 

Minivan News
Four Sentenced To Death Over 2006 Murder
Four men were sentenced to death on Tuesday over the gang-related murder of Mohamed Shihab, 20, in Gaaf Alif atoll Maamendhoo in July 2006. Fariyaaz Ahmed, Ali Masoud Saeed, Mohamed Shifraz and Mohamed Gasim were handed down the death sentence after the victim’s family rejected the alternative offer of blood money available under Shari’ah law.But lawyers for both sides said there was little chance of the sentence being implemented, with no executions carried out in the Maldives since 1953. read & comment

Wednesday 30 July 2008

DO Review

Maldives Dictator labels his political rivals liars
Maldives Dictator Golhaabo seems to be going through a rough patch these days, talking absolute bull, in his party rallies and press conferences. Earlier this week, he denounced his opponents as liars and named the top five of a long list he had. They were, MP for Raa Atoll, Shaheed Zaki,, MP for Dhaalu Atoll, Ahmed Nashid (ADK), MP for Male’ Atoll and MDP Chairman Mariya Ahmed Didi, Vice President of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Ibrahim Hussain Zaki and founding MDP member Mohamed Latheef. read & comment  

Business News
Best Air connects Dhaka to Male’ via Colombo
Best Air, a charter operation based in Bangladesh have started scheduled operations to the Male’ with flights on Fridays and Mondays. The flight Boeing 737-200 will connect the capital of Bangladesh Dhaka to Male’ with a stop-over in Colombo. The first flight operated on 28th July. A return fare to Dhaka will cost US$ 700 and a return fare to Colombo will cost US$ 260, according to Best Air Overseas Charter Travels Limited, the General Sales Agent in Male’. read & comment

The Devil's Spot Blog
Curried politics - The chicken or the egg debate of Maldivian Presidential Elections
It’s been a while but I have to put in my two cents-bit into the Qasim for President debate especially the argument that he is the best person to get rid of golhabo. Having read the DO editorial on Qasim Iburahim and the heated comments it had raised, I have come to the conclusion that all this boils down to the chicken or the egg situation. That is to say, Do we get rid of golhabo first or do we find a decent leader to run this country? Which one should come first? read & comment
 

Tuesday 29 July 2008

Breaking News
Indian pop idol Ishmeet Singh dies in Maldives after freak accident
News Update: Male' 21:15 - Reliable sources at the ADK Hospital have confirmed that Ishmeet died as a result of an injury sustained to his head as he dived into the shallow end of a pool in the resort where he was staying, Dhonveli Beach Resort. Earlier reports that he died of drowning is not true. He was given emergency medical assistance after the management was alerted by his friends who were at the scene but died within a few minutes of the incident. A police investigation is now underway.

Male’ – Local reports say that the winner of the popular Amul Star Voice of India 2007, has drowned and died this afternoon in a Maldives resort. Ishmeet is in Maldives to perform in a music show planned for this weekend. He arrived in the country today. He was taken to ADK Hospital Male' but was already dead when he arrived.  read & sign condolences

Local News
Murshid gets 13 years jail for the attempting to kill the Maldives Dictator Gayyoom
Male' - Mohamed Murshid of Kinaaraa, HA. Hoarafushi was sentenced this morning to 13 years in jail for the attempt to murder the Maldives dictator, Gayyoom. His accomplice was acquitted for insufficient evidence, reports say. Murshid’s sentence was in two parts, 12 years for attempted murder and 1 year for assault with a sharp object. read & comment

DO Review

Qasim’s best option is to run as an ‘Independent’ candidate in the Presidential Elections
Qasim Ibrahim is an enigma. Born into a poor family, had little formal education, he spent his childhood as a servant boy dependent on the goodwill of the family he had to serve, and then, like the Phoenix rising from the ashes, he rose from his lowly beginnings to become a self-made multi-millionaire and a philanthropist, helping hundreds of Maldivians on the way. If this was America, Qasim Ibrahim would be hailed as the American Dream. He would be seen as an inspiration and a visionary; and someone who has beaten all the odds to become a potential for the top job. read & comment

Minivan News

Foreign Ministry Declares EU Statement “Ill-Informed And Ill-Judged”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a furious response to a statement by the European Union (EU) this weekend, which expressed “great concern” over delays to democratic reforms due under the country’s new constitution. The ministry described the EU’s move as “an ill-informed and ill-judged public intervention.” The EU statement, issued on 25 July, had expressed concern over “the continued delay in establishing the operational and independent institutions required to ensure that free and fair elections are held in the Maldives in October this year.” read & comment

Economic News
IFC consortium to invest in Maldives' housing sector
IFC and ADB will each invest $4.5 million, and HDFC Investments Limited will invest $3.75 million. IFC and ADB will also provide a $7.5 million loan each to support the project. IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, the Asian Development Bank, and HDFC Investments Limited, a subsidiary of Housing Development Finance Corporation Limited, India, are investing in Maldives to help reduce the country’s severe housing shortage. The equity and loan investment package will enable privatization of Maldives’ Housing Development Finance Corporation Plc, a government-owned housing finance institution, and transform it into a commercially viable, private sector–led company. read & comment

 

Monday 28 July 2008

DO Review
Can the EU pressure the dictator to ratify the constitution and usher in democracy to the Maldives
A European Union press release on Friday 25th July expressed great concern over the continued delay in establishing necessary independent institutions which could ensure free and fair elections in the Maldives. EU’s statement the day before our independence day was issued by the EU delegation in Sri Lanka. It stated that it is “concerned that the constitution be ratified so that preparations can be made in a timely, transparent and credible manner”, referring mainly to the upcoming presidential elections, which is supposed to be the first ever multiparty presidential election in the country. read & comment


Readers Review
Children celebrate freedom from 30 years of tyranny
Well, well, well, it has been said that the truth will always come out of children, we saw grand evidence of that in the National Stadium last night didn't we? After the less than tuneful renditions of let's face it painful marches and our national anthem , do they get enough time to practice I wonder? We were treated to the usual show of colourful dances, somewhat like the shows that are put on for the 'dear leader' of North Korea, that other well known democracy. read & comment


Maldivesports Blog
Fall of the old sports order in the Maldives, a perspective
We are witnessing the disintegration of a sports system that was based on direct government management. International best practice is the management of sports through civil society. This has not been the case in the Maldives. read & comment 

Sunday 27 July 2008

DO Review
Maldives' 43rd Independence Day pass without much celebration
Yesterday was our 43rd anniversary of independence. Maldives was a protectorate of the Great Britain until 1965. Until recently, 26th July each year was marked with jubilation and celebration by all Maldivians but things seems to have changed now.
Last nights celebration in the capital’s national stadium was more like a military exercise than an event celebrating such an important milestone as a country’s Independence Day. The police and the army were all over the place. It seemed more that were being occupied by Golhaa Force and the national army. read & comment


Mint News
Maldives opposition lobbies India’s support for democracy
The country will hold its first free presidential election in November, if the new constitution is ratified by the president. New Delhi: As calls for democratic reform grow louder in the Maldives, India has stopped short of openly criticizing President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, whose 30-year rule over the Indian Ocean island nation makes his regime the world’s longest running dictatorship. more

 

Press Release
Maldives Aid calls for free and fair elections
Organisations of the Go Vote campaign, including Maldives Aid, held their first public forum in Male' on Wednesday evening (23/7/08). The theme of the forum was 'Preparing for a Free and Fair Election' and included a lively discussion of voting rights, the importance of democracy and electoral processes. A Question & Answer session followed to allow the audience to share their concerns for the 2008 presidential elections, including the role of the media and the threat of violence and bribery. read & comment

Saturday 26 July 2008

Local News

Public urged to attend Independence Day event at the national stadium to say goodbye to Golhaabo
Male’ – Reports are coming that the reformists are calling on the public to attend the Independence Day celebrations at the national stadium tonight to say goodbye to the Maldives dictator. The program which is designed solely to entertain the dictator and his cronies is set to begin at 8:30pm and already the whole area is being cleaned off and vehicles being removed causing immense distress to the public. “They are already getting ready to block the area and we are restricted from free movement; All this on our so called Independence Day. Not only that. They have been parading and practicing for the past couple of weeks. Our kids can’t sleep because its so noisy in the area”, said Mariyam who lives in the vicinity of the stadium. read & comment

DO Review
Opposition gives dictator end July deadline to ratify the constitution
The National Unity Alliance (NUA), made up of 6 main opposition parties in the Maldives issued a joint statement on Thursday giving the Maldives dictator till the end of July to ratify the amended constitution. Last Saturday, leaders of the NUA gathered near the dictator’s residence in the capital demanding to meet with him to discuss as to why he is refusing to ratify the amendments. The whole process of ratification is largely seen as symbolic because the amendments were thrashed out and adopted by the constitutional assembly consisting around 110 MPs working flat out for 4 years says NUA. read & comment

IPSNews
South Asia Maps Its Own Development Destiny
UNITED NATIONS, Jul 21 (IPS) - When Pierre Trudeau, a former prime minister of Canada, was once asked what it was like to share space with a "giant" neighbour like the United States, he said the Canadians always felt they were living next to a monstrous elephant."One feels the beast's every twitch," said Trudeau, even as the United States continues to influence its neighbour politically, economically and culturally. more

Friday 25 July 2008

Local News

Saikuraa Naeem Dies aged 73
Male' - Famous writer and orator, Saikuraa Ibrahim Naeem passed away this morning whilst under going treatment at ADK intensive care unit. He died at around 10:15 this morning. Late Naeem is a popular figure in the country and will be greatly missed. He served the government for more than 50 years, starting his work in 1953. read and write condolences

Breaking News
Series of bombs hit Bangalore city
15:00 - Bangalore - There are reports that at least 4 explosions in the city of Bangalore in India have killed one person and injured more than a dozen people. Bomb squad of the police are now checking out the area and traffic in the city is chaotic. Bangalore is one of the most thriving India cities, known as a centre for several foreign companies, outsourcing and for IT services. A relatively large number of Maldivians live in Bangalore. Details of the blasts are now trickling through news media.

Thursday 24 July 2008

Opinion
Tourist-resort employees’ rights and industry performance

In the recent past, there has not been a single weekend gone passed without a travel feature appearing about the Maldives in one of the Big-5 Newspaper’s Magazines in the UK—which is our largest tourism source country. Historically, in Western European countries, Maldives’ tourism has been popular. In Italy, the first prize on television quiz programmes features Maldives regularly. Italy is our second largest tourism source country. Among our top-10 tourist source countries, 9 are from Europe and Japan lingers between 6 and 7. read & comment

Minivan News
Four Accused Of Terrorism Declared “Innocent” After Forced Confessions
Four Maldivians were declared innocent on Wednesday by the criminal court after living under accusations of terrorism since 2002. All charges against Mohamed Shaz (Waleed), Mohamed Fauzi, Ibrahim Adhil, and Sheikh Ibrahim Fareed were dropped by the state, on the grounds of a lack of evidence and a landmark admission their confessions had been forced by police. All had pleaded not guilty. read & comment
 

Wednesday 23 July 2008

DO Review
Why is Golhaabo refusing to ratify the constitution?
The talk of the town now is that of Maldives Golhaabo refusing to ratify the amended constitution, despite his promises to the public and the international community that he will do so within days of the Constitutional Assembly submitting it. However, as always, he has failed to back his words with action. read & comment

DO Review
Police Bill To Put Force Under Direct Presidential Control
The draft Police Bill, which government argues must pass through parliament before the constitution in progress can be ratified, is set to place the country’s police force under the direct control of the President. As it stands, the bill places the force under the control of a police commissioner to be appointed by the President, and also allows the President to give officers direct orders himself. read & comment

Tuesday 22 July 2008

DO Review
Arif Hilmy doesn't want to side with the Dictator
Arif Hilmy has withdrawn his name from being submitted to the People's Majlis for the post of MMA Governor. Many Maldivians had wondered whether Arif Hilmy would indeed accept another post in this government since he had resigned from the Dictator's
cabinet previously, when the Dictator had sidelined him and refused to follow his advice. Arif Hilmy would certainly know how the Dictator operates. Now many are sighing in relief o know that Arif Hilmy is definitely a man who had maintained his integrity and loyalty to the people of Maldives. read & comment
 

Minivan News
Over 13 Arrested As Alliance Protests At Presidential Palace
Reports indicate over 13 have been arrested as a crowd of over a thousand, representing the National Unity Alliance of opposition groups, gathered outside the presidential palace Monday night to protest delays to ratification of the country’s new constitution. It was the Alliance’s first use of direct action, with members requesting a meeting with President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and lobbying for the constitution to come into effect immediately. more

 

Monday 21 July 2008

Breaking News
Alliance converge on palace to meet the dictator
Male’ 21:00 – Senior members of the national unity alliance began converging near the Theemuge Palace this evening reportedly to meet the dictator regarding the news that he is not willing to ratify the constitution. It is reported that the dictator does not want to pass the transitional arrangement chapter and the NUA is very dissatisfied about the issue. The NUA held an emergency meeting earlier today and this direct action was agreed in that meeting. read & comment
 

Daily News Lanka
Million dollar drug smuggling Lankan suspect released before trial because there is nowhere to detain her
Sri Lankan citizen Sameen Ummul Fahumiyya, 56, arrested in March in connection with a drug bust worth over US $1 million, has returned to Sri Lanka after being released before her trial, police have confirmed. A judge authorised the release of the suspected drug dealer on June 18 because there was "nowhere to detain her," and her passport was then returned to her along with the rest of her belongings. Human rights lawyer Husnu Suood described her release as "wrong". read & comment

DO Review
Golhaa is being hammered left and right as they say in Lanka
It seems that the dictator is being pressured from all directions, not least from his own cabinet. As we now know, three senior cabinet members resigned this month and there are constant rumours of even more resignations looming in the horizon. As reported on DO, our sources confirmed that Ilyas Ibrahim, Golhaabo’s brother in law himself had submitted his resignation couple of days ago. read & comment

Local News
Health Minister Ilyas Ibrahim submits resignation
Male’ – A very reliable source confirmed that Minister of Health, Ilyas Ibrahim, Dictator Gayyoom’s brother in law, has submitted his resignation from the cabinet. According to the source, Ilyas is very unhappy about the fact that the dictator had endorsed his own nephew, Planning Minister Hamdhoon Hameed, in the recent elections of the DRP’s congress, in which Hamdhoon was elected to the vacant deputy leadership post. read & comment

Sports News
Football Association of Maldives’ first election is a farce
The FAM conducted its first ever elections with a mere eleven (11) clubs, 9.00am yesterday morning at the Social Education Centre in Male'. The AFC and FIFA were present. Several football professionals and former national players, such Dhonbiley Ahmed Haleem, Ahmed Shaahid (Saabe) and Hamid Abdul Gafoor with a number of Atoll as well as Male' based clubs were lobbying to get VOTING RIGHTS for over 60 FIFA recognised clubs in the country. Over 80 clubs participate in FAM organised competitions annually. read & comment

Local News
Earthquake measuring 5.2 near Male' on Sunday
According to US Geological Society, an earthquake measure 5.2 occurred near the Maldives capital Male' at 08:21am GMT on Sunday, 20th July. The event was reviewed by a seismologist and has been treated as an alert. The earthquake which is categorised as moderate, occurred 780 miles (1255 km) W of Male', Maldives, at a depth of 6.2 miles (10 km) in Carlsberg Ridge, where such activities occur quite frequently. read & comment

Sunday 20 July 2008

DO Review
Do you have any confidence in the Maldives justice system?
The justice system in the Maldives is so flawed that it is seen by the public as a tool for the current regime and its cronies to sustain their grip on power. It is supposed to be a mechanism to provide safety and security for the people but criminals roam the streets, especially in the capital Male’, with the full protection of the state. Drug dealing is rampant and many freely deal on the streets of Male’ despite being on the police record. These people rarely face justice whilst the innocents spend weeks and months in prison for opposing and criticizing the dictator and his regime. read & comment

Sky News
Is This Our Floating Future?
Belgian architect Vincent Callebaut has proposed a solution to the problems of climate change and over-crowing: the Lilypad. The Lilypad is described as a 'prototype of an auto-sufficient amphibious city', with individual lilypad able to hold 50,000 people. The Lilypad is centred around a lake, which collects and purifies rain water. The floating city would have no roads and float around the world along natural tides and currents. read & comment

Minivan News
Constitution: The Sticking Points
Could children of unknown parentage lose the right to be Maldivian under the new constitution? Could euthanasia, abortion or the death penalty be allowed? And could Islamic had punishments be prohibited? The answer to all of these is yes, according to a new report from the Attorney General's Office (AGO), which government said must be conducted before the constitution is ratified. read & comment

The Independent - UK
The march of tourism (and a threat to the Maldives)
Beset by rising sea levels and a Ł90m budget shortfall, the Maldives government has set its sights on leasing 31 uninhabited islands for new resorts. Now the Tourism Minister has quit over the threat to the islands' fragile ecology. They have become the short-hand for a tropical paradise. A nation of islands off the southern tip of India, the Maldives are the home of cobalt-blue seas and white-sand beaches. Every year the country attracts up to half-a-million tourists in search of a picture-perfect getaway. more

Tourism News

New trial ordered in air taxi death
CALGARY -- The widow and children of a Calgary entrepreneur killed in a helicopter crash almost a decade ago may be entitled to a "substantial increase" to the more than the $3.2-million previously awarded in compensation in connection with his death, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled yesterday. more

Maldivesports blog
Dare to be “Little Brazil”?... Imagine!
In the late nineties a little island near Male’, by the name of HURAA became a football icon. They contributed eight players to the National Team that eventually lost to India in the Goa SAFF Cup. At that competition commentators referred to Huraa as the “little Brazil” of Maldives. The fact however is, that it is not only the island of Huraa that is a little Brazil. Most of our 200 inhabited islands are teaming with talent. The whole of Maldives can be turned into a little Brazil if the we dare take up such a challenge? more
 

Saturday 19 July 2008

DO Review
Maldives opposition must unite to have a chance of ousting the dictator
The political backdrop in the Maldives is currently very fluid. The fear is that everyone in the opposition, especially the presidential candidates are dead certain that each of them has the full backing of the public, and a win is dead certain. This can only be described as large measures of self delusion. The problem is of course that Dictator Gayyoom will exploit this division and could possibly wriggle through for another 5 years. If that happens, everything is lost. read & comment
 

Times UK
India’s Government accused of buying votes
The Indian Government, on the brink of a crucial no-confidence motion that is regarded as a turning point in the world’s biggest democracy, has been accused of buying votes on an epic scale. In the run-up to Tuesday’s vote, Delhi has been gripped by a frenzy of mud-slinging, back-slapping and deal-making as the Congress Party and its main rivals try to make up the numbers. An MP said this week that the Government was offering to pay as much as 250 million rupees (Ł3 million) for each vote in parliament. more
 

BLUEPEACE

Sand mining might erase some islands from map of Maldives
Since time immemorial artisanal coral sand extraction or mining from local beaches and lagoons, mainly for construction purposes, has been a common practice in the Maldives. However, within the last four decades the Maldives has been experiencing a massive boom in the construction of cement houses and high-rise concrete buildings. Up to late 1980s, almost all the cement houses and buildings were built with coral sand and coral aggregates from local beaches and lagoons. In the late 1980s, imports of river sand and aggregates from India started to replace coral sand and coral aggregates in the construction of high-rise buildings. more

 

Friday 18 July 2008

IBN Report

Gayoom losing grip over Maldives as Opposition grows
New Delhi: Think of the Maldives and you will see a picture-perfect holiday getaway, with white sandy beaches and swaying palm trees. But beyond the slick tourism promotional, the tiny nation is awaiting the first ever multi-party presidential elections before, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, finishes his sixth consecutive term in office on November 11, 2008. read more  & watch video
 

IBN Live
Maldives cosying up to China a warning for India
New Delhi: Is India losing out to Chinese interests in it's neighbourhood? After Nepal, Pakistan and Bangladesh, where the governments share better relations with Beijing than New Delhi, next in line could be strategically located Maldives. Maldives is the world's most popular honeymoon destination and a picture-perfect archipelago on the Indian Ocean, where the rich and famous from all corners of the world come on holiday. read more & watch video  

Minivan News
Government To Propose Maximum Working Hours For Resort Employees
Proposed amendments to the new Employment Act will award tourism staff full labour rights including a maximum 48-hour working week, after the newly registered Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM) raised the possibility of strike action.
President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom personally intervened to request the new concession, legal reform minister Mohamed Nasheed said on his personal blog on Wednesday. read & comment
 

Thursday 17 July 2008

Local News

Economic and Trade Minister Jaleel submits resignation letter
Male' - very reliable source in the government confirmed that Minister of Economic Development and Trade, Mr. Mohamed Jaleel has submitted his resignation from the cabinet yesterday, after he was forced by the dictator to withhold information about the various ministers who prevented him from completing the mega projects that were included in this year’s budget. read & comment

Maldivesoccer.net
AFC warns FAM on upcoming election
FAM building: FAM received a warning from AFC on possible unethical behaviors in the upcoming election. Male', MALDIVES - Football Association of Maldives (FAM) gets a warning message from continents football governing body, AFC. In a statement released by the AFC states that media reports incidents that may lead to corruption in the upcoming FAM election and warned FAM that AFC will not be hesitated to instruct FIFA to cancel the election. “AFC and FIFA representatives will oversee the elections of the new management but if there is evidence of unethical and unfair means, we will cancel it,” said AFC President Mohamed Bin Hammam. more 

Wednesday 16 July 2008

Local News

Shaugee quits Dictator Gayyoom’s party

Male’ – A very reliable source confirmed that Dr. Mahmood Shaugee, the former tourism minister who resigned from the cabinet this week, has left Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), headed by the incumbent dictator of the Maldives. Although no official statements have been made with regard to this matter, Dr. Shaugee’s associates say that he is very unhappy about the way the party operates and could not remain in the party after he left the cabinet post. He is also reportedly very upset about the premeditated attempt by cronies of this regime to discredit him and that may have been a major factor for him to quit working with the Dictator.  The source also said that he is not contemplating joining any other political party at this point in time. read & comment

Opinion

What Else Can Arif Hilmy Do?
It has been announced that Arif Hilmy’s name will be proposed to the Majilis for ratification to be appointed to MMA’s Governor. Arif Hilmy served as the second Minister of State for Finance & Treasury under Maumoon from November 1993 to June 2000. His major achievements include submitting a balance budget to the parliament in 1995 and managing it to turn out a surplus. That was mainly due to some favourable and unanticipated tourism sector performance. read & comment

Opinion

The Man Who Stole Our Tomorrow

The Maldive-E-Media (MEM) widely reported the declarations Maumoon made at the closing ceremony of the recent DRP Congress. He said compared to 1978, the Maldives has come a long way and we are relatively better off in every possible way. That is preposterous!Maumoon pleaded that people should look at the facts, the reality we are in and make their own judgment. With God’s will DRP will win the coming general elections. read & comment

Minivan News
Jihad Is Finance Minister, Mausoom Gets Tourism

President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Tuesday appointed Abdullah Jihad, previously governor of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), as finance minister, and Dr Abdullah Mausoom, formerly deputy tourism minister, to the tourism portfolio. The rapid appointments to two key positions follow his acceptance of resignation letters from former finance minister Gasim Ibrahim and tourism minister Mahmoud Shaugee. Both had submitted resignations this month after a US $180 million budget shortfall, and subsequent plan to lease 31 new islands for resort development, appeared to prompt a crisis within government. read & comment

Transparency Maldives

Transparency Maldives Releases 'I Choose' Electoral Assessment

Malé, Maldives - 13 July 2008 - Transparency Maldives held a press conference today to release its assessment report on the Maldivian electoral system and mark the initiation of the 'I Choose' voter education and domestic observation training program. download report