Nasheed calls for MDP representation on Elections Commission

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has called for a representative of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to be appointed to the Elections Commission (EC), following the appointment of former People's National Congress (PNC) Registrar Mohamed Shakeel as President of the commission.

Shakeel was appointed as an EC member on 22 June before being selected by President Dr Mohamed Muizzu to lead the commission. His appointment followed the resignation of former EC President Mohamed Zahid in May.

Speaking at a press conference on Sunday in his capacity as MDP chairperson, Nasheed was asked by Dhauru about the appointment of a former senior PNC official to head the commission.

In response, Nasheed said the Elections Commission, when first established under the transitional provisions of the Constitution in 2008, included representatives from different political parties.

He said restoring a system in which political parties are represented on the commission would be a positive step. He also said the process for selecting the commission's president should return to the previous arrangement, under which commissioners elected the president from among themselves.

"Our wish is to have an MDP member sit on the Elections Commission as well," Nasheed said.

He argued that if a senior member of the ruling party could be appointed to the commission, other political parties should also be represented.

According to Nasheed, the President could request the MDP to nominate a candidate for appointment to the commission before submitting the name to Parliament for approval.

"The President should simply ask the MDP, 'I intend to submit a name to the People's Majlis to appoint an MDP representative to the Elections Commission, so who would that be?' We will then provide a name. The President can then forward that name to Parliament for approval," he said.

Nasheed also said he did not believe elections could be manipulated through the composition of the commission alone.

"An election cannot be stolen. The key fundamental steps are ensuring the electoral list is accurate and announced well in advance, conducting the voting based on that list, and counting and announcing the votes in front of everyone. These are basic things we are very familiar with. The MDP will be monitoring these matters closely," he said.

Until amendments to the relevant legislation were passed in 2024, the President and Vice President of the Elections Commission and the Anti-Corruption Commission were elected by members of the respective commissions. Under the amended laws, the President nominates the office-holders, subject to approval by Parliament.