In response to escalating concerns regarding fraudulent membership registrations by political parties, Hassan Zakariyya, a member of the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM), has asserted that the issue could be resolved through a comprehensive overhaul of the membership registration process. He advocates for the integration of the Maldives' National Digital Identity service, eFaas, and the transition to an online registration system to address these issues effectively.
Zakariyya's comments were made during an interview with PSM News, following widespread public outrage over increasing allegations of fraudulent membership registrations. These allegations, primarily circulated on social media, accuse political parties of using forged signatures, altered photographs, and falsified information to inflate their membership numbers.
Zakariyya revealed that the ECM has received numerous reports of fraudulent membership registrations over the past 15 years. He noted that political parties often intensify their membership drives at the end of each year, posing significant challenges for the ECM in verifying the authenticity of the submitted forms.
"The ECM lacks the resources to verify the contact numbers and information of the witnesses who sign the membership forms, as well as the fingerprints on these forms," Zakariyya explained. These issues have been acknowledged by all registered political parties in the country, he added.
To address these challenges, Zakariyya highlighted the need for a permanent solution through the utilisation of the eFaas service and the transition to an online registration process. "We established a mechanism two years ago that allows individuals to reregister as members of political parties from anywhere, using the eFaas service on a digital platform. During the two largest elections held recently, we observed the effectiveness of this mechanism," he stated.
"Since implementing the requirement for political party membership reregistration through a verified eFaas account, fraudulent registrations have ceased."
Zakariyya also revealed that the ECM has been requesting budget allocations to establish fingerprint verification mechanisms for many years, but these requests have yet to be fulfilled. He highlighted that all services provided by the ECM, except for political party membership registration, can now be accessed through verified eFaas accounts. The ECM aims to integrate this service into its online portal by the end of the first quarter of 2025, he assured.