The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has announced that starting from 15 February, applications to register with a political party can only be submitted through the government’s digital identity system, E-Faas.
The ECM’s decision follows concerns from the public and political parties alike regarding individuals being registered to political parties without their knowledge or consent.
Speaking on a PSM News programme, ECM member Hassan Zakariyya highlighted that the issue of fraudulent registrations to political parties has persisted since the introduction of the multi-party system in the Maldives. Although various measures have been taken to prevent the occurrence over the years, a permanent solution has yet to be found.
Zakariyya said adopting the e-Faas system to seek ECM services will resolve several challenges such as re-registrations and other issues. The issue of fraudulent registrations can also be effectively ended by submitting forms digitally through e-Faas, he said. For these reasons, ECM has now decided to utilise e-Faas for party registration requests, he added.
“We can give 100 percent assurance that e-Faas will close the door on fraudulent registrations. You cannot become a member of a political party unless the request is made from a verified e-Faas account. This means, only biometric data and ID card-verified accounts can be used to request to join a political party,” Zakariyya said.
The ECM said the transition will take effect on 15 February. The last date that physical application forms can be submitted is 30 January. Preparations are already underway to implement the change.
Every year, fraudulent party membership registrations tend to spike towards the end of the year. The measures to be adopted by ECM are expected to provide a permanent and effective solution to the recurring issue.