Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has claimed there is no chance for the political party registry to be meddled with.
Vice President of ECM Ahmed Akram said the political party registry is kept under strict regulations. Akram said the political parties have the right to make additions and omissions to the party registry, and notify ECM regarding the changes. He said parties are allowed to use their registries in primaries or other internal elections, adding several individuals are signed up to the parties in the run up to such polls.
However, the vice president of the electoral body said the political party registry maintained by ECM is accurate and cannot be meddled with. Akram also said ECM cannot solve the issues in the registries used by the parties.
All major parties are to hold primaries to elect candidates for the upcoming local council elections. The main ruling party, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has publicised a preliminary voters’ list that has been met with complaints by individuals who say their names are in the party registry even when they are not members. No other party has publicised a voters’ list so far.