4 media representatives elected to commission without vote
Out of six applicants, five were found eligible, and one candidate later withdrew.
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Four candidates have been elected without a vote to the newly established Media and Broadcasting Commission under the media regulation act, which was ratified by President Mohamed Muizzu last month.
Under the Act, four of the seven members of the Commission are to be elected by the media. Two are to represent online media and two to represent broadcasters. The deadline for nominations for the four positions closed on Saturday.
Out of six applicants, five were found eligible, and one candidate later withdrew. As there was no contest, the Election Commission (EC) declared four candidates elected.
The four members are:
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1-
Zam’ath Waheed, a former member of the abolished Broadcasting Commission.
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2-
Simaha Naseem, a journalist from Vaguthu newspaper and former station in-charge of Raajje TV.
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3-
Hussain Shageef, former President of the dissolved Maldives Media Council.
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4-
Abdul Azeez Ibrahim, Sh. Feydhoo/Moonimaage.
Zam’ath Waheed and Abdul Azeez Ibrahim were elected as representatives of broadcasters, while Simaha Naseem and Hussain Shageef were elected as representatives of online media.
In a statement, the EC said the members were elected in accordance with Article 35(h) of the Commission’s Election Rules, which provides that if the number of qualified candidates is equal to or fewer than the number of vacancies, those candidates shall be declared elected without a vote.
The EC initially did not accept the nomination of former Maldives Media Council President Hussain Shageef. However, after reviewing his complaint, the EC reversed its decision and accepted his candidacy.
