Two members of parliament (MP)s, the MP for Maradhoo constituency, Ibrahim Shareef, and the MP for Feydhoo constituency, Mohamed Nihad, were attacked on Saturday.
Shareef was attacked while he was at the Manhattan Business Hotel near Izzudheen School in Male’ City. Photos of the MP’s face showed heavy swelling and injuries across the eyes and nose.
“I was in Manhattan with some people when a large group came and attacked me. I don’t know why. I don’t know who attacked me,” Shareef said, going on to declare such acts as deplorable in the backdrop of what otherwise has been a mostly peaceful election process.
Shareef’s attack has been reported to the police who are now actively investigating the incident.
In a similar incident MP Nihad was also attacked and injured, according to the Mayor of Addu City Ali Nizar.
Nizar said it was not immediately clear who attacked Nihad or why and that no additional details were available since Nihad could not be reached by phone.
Overall, polling went smoothly with significantly more voters turning out for the second round with these attacks and other disruptions at a minimum. It has however been reported that 10 arrests had been made throughout the day over various election-related incidents.