EC rejects PNF claims over removal of party members

The Elections Commission (EC) has rejected allegations by former President Abdulla Yameen’s People’s National Front (PNF) that members have been removed from the party without their knowledge, saying the current membership system does not allow such changes to be made without the individual concerned.

The EC issued a statement on Friday in response to allegations made by the PNF a day earlier.

The PNF had alleged that a large number of people registered as its members had been removed from the party without their knowledge and transferred to other political parties. It also alleged that their identity card information had been used without authorisation.

The party has filed a complaint with police seeking a criminal investigation into EC President Mohamed Shakeel over the allegations.

Responding to the claims, the EC said the current system allows individuals to join or leave political parties through their personal eFaas accounts and gives them control over their political party membership.

The commission said joining or leaving a political party is a matter between the individual and the relevant party and is carried out based on the individual’s own decision.

“With such a secure system now in place, neither this commission nor any other party has the ability to remove a person from a political party or transfer that person to another party without their knowledge,” the EC said.

The commission said unauthorised registration and removal of political party members had previously been among the most common complaints raised by members of the public and political parties.

It said several changes had been introduced over the years following consultations with political parties and relevant institutions in an effort to establish a lasting system to address the issue.

According to the EC, integrating eFaas into the political party membership system has made the process more secure and transparent.

Before the current system was introduced, applications to join political parties were submitted to the EC using forms. There had been repeated complaints of people being registered with political parties without their knowledge through forms containing allegedly forged signatures or fingerprints.

The EC said the current system was introduced to address those concerns.

Under the present procedure, a person seeking to join or leave a political party must submit the request through the EC portal using eFaas.

When a person applies to join a party, both the relevant political party and the EC are notified. Membership is confirmed once the party accepts the application.

A person seeking to leave a political party can also submit the request through eFaas. The relevant party is then required to process the request. If the party does not complete the removal within the stipulated period, the EC can remove the person from the party registry.

The commission criticised the PNF’s allegations, saying they could undermine public confidence in the EC and the political party membership system.

“Despite this, the People’s National Front continues to make false allegations and statements in a manner that distorts the facts and undermines public confidence in the Elections Commission and the political party membership system. The commission condemns these false allegations in the strongest terms,” the EC said.

The commission called on political parties and other parties involved in political activity to refrain from spreading information it described as contrary to the facts and to conduct political activities responsibly.

The PNF, meanwhile, has asked police to investigate Shakeel over its claims. The party alleges that removing members without their consent and transferring them to other parties amounts to unauthorised use of their personal information.

The allegations made by the PNF have not been independently established.