Dual political party membership no longer possible, EC says
He explained that party membership registration and cancellation are now handled directly through the EC’s electronic platform via the e-Faas system.
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The Elections Commission (EC) has announced that individuals can no longer be registered with multiple political parties or admitted to a party without their knowledge.
The announcement was made on Wednesday in response to a question raised by a member of Parliament’s Independent Institutions Committee.
Faresmaathoda MP Ashraf Rasheed asked what measures were being taken to prevent cases where individuals were registered in more than one party or unknowingly added to a party’s membership list.
In reply, EC Chairman Mohamed Zahid said that such issues had occurred in the past but would no longer be possible under the new electronic membership system introduced this year.
“From this year onwards, that will not be the case. No one can be admitted to any party repeatedly or without their consent,” Zahid said.
He explained that party membership registration and cancellation are now handled directly through the EC’s electronic platform via the e-Faas system.
Under the new procedure:
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Applications to join or leave a party must be submitted electronically through the e-Faas portal.
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Both the individual and the party will be notified of the request.
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A person can only be admitted to a party if the party approves the request through the portal.
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If a party fails to remove a member after a valid request within a specified time, the EC will process the removal.
Zahid said that in the past, individuals were added to parties without consent through paper forms, fake signatures, or forged fingerprints. The new e-Faas system, he said, has resolved such issues.
He added that the EC has received and addressed complaints from individuals who were unknowingly registered in parties before the system was implemented.
“There is no longer any way for membership forms to be submitted to the Commission directly. It is now a matter between the person and the party,” Zahid said.
