The first four months of the Mohamed Muizzu administration has shown that the President is severely lacking in political experience, Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Aslam said in an interview with local media outlet Adhadhu on Friday.

Some appointments are being made in a way that is not in the best interest of the country, he said.

“I would describe President Muizzu as having a little less political experience. He will start getting that experience. I hope it will be better. However, some things are being done in ways that should not be done,” Aslam said.

Aslam pointed to missteps by the President’s People’s National Congress (PNC) in giving party tickets to some candidates then withdrawing tickets and sometimes even withdrawing support for candidates with tickets in favour of others.

“For example, things are going on within the party, tickets are given, tickets are taken away, and support for the person who is not given the ticket. Many things like that,” Aslam said.

While Muizzu won the presidency with the promise of freeing former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom, he had cut ties the moment he was elected, leading to Yameen forming yet another political party as they could not reconcile differences within PNC and coalition partners, Aslam observed. Muizzu had initially reposted a social media post that had called out Yameen for working with a “shark” mindset but later undid the repost, the speaker said.

The speaker also brought into question the integrity of national elections saying that “buying and selling” votes has become so common that it does not feel like a crime. Although acknowledged as a ‘common practice’ by a large number of the public, no one has been charged, or even knowingly investigated, for bribery, accepting bribes or corruption in relation to any recent election.

Aslam said the practice was more commonplace now than when laws were less stringent on the matter.

“Now it’s more open, just [saying] ID cards are here. We have X number of votes at home. It’s okay with the children, it’s okay with the parents, I am not talking about one instance mind you, even though it might seem rare, you see it,” Aslam said.

Buying and selling votes is ‘okay’ with candidates too, the speaker went on to say — no candidate has been charged with such an offence.

“A school principal will say we can vote if you give us something, a teacher may say we can vote if we do something for the school,” Aslam elaborated.

Even in the Parliament, Members of Parliament (MPs) talk about it very openly and it doesn’t matter, he said.

“It has become so common that it does not feel like it is a crime,” Aslam said.