The Election Commission (EC) on Thursday rejected allegations by the opposition MDP that the ruling PNC has access to the portal used by candidates submitting forms for the upcoming local council elections.
At a press conference earlier in the day, MDP Deputy Campaign Spokesperson and National Assembly Member Hussain Hassan alleged that the PNC was receiving real‑time information whenever independent candidates sought supporter endorsements through eFaas. He claimed this indicated that the ruling party had access to the EC’s candidate portal.
“This means the PNC has access to the election portal. We are sure of that because some candidates and members of the public have shared these incidents,” Hussain said.
Hussain Amr, the former MD of STO, talks during the press conference held by MDP on January 22, 2026. (Photo/MDP)
However, speaking to Sun, EC Vice‑President Abdul Rahman Salah Rasheed firmly denied the claim.
“No political party has been given access to our portal. Political parties only have access to the Simedha portal, which is related to political party affairs,” he said.
He stressed that no party is allowed to view candidate information through the EC’s main portal. Access is restricted exclusively to EC staff directly involved in election operations, and even commission members do not have access, he added.
The EC reiterated that independent candidates are required to secure endorsements from at least 50 constituents. Voters may log into the EC portal to decide whether to support a candidate, but this does not grant political parties access to candidate data.
Nominations, which opened on January 17, will close at 15:30 on February 1.