Parliament has formally endorsed the appointments of Mohamed Zahid and Abdul Rahman Solah Rasheed as members of the Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM). This endorsement was made during an extraordinary parliamentary sitting held on Thursday.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu submitted the names of Mohamed Zahid and Abdul Rahman Solah Rasheed for parliamentary consideration on 12 December. The Committee on Independent Institutions subsequently reviewed the nominations.
During the presentation of the committee report to the parliament floor, it was revealed that both Mohamed Zahid and Abdul Rahman Solah Rasheed had achieved scores exceeding 75% in their interviews. Consequently, the chairperson of the committee, MP for Maafushi Hussain Riza Adam, announced that the committee members had unanimously agreed to forward the names of the two nominees to the parliament floor for voting. At the extraordinary sitting, both Zahid and Rasheed received parliamentary endorsement with the votes of 68 lawmakers.
Mohamed Zahid has previously served as a member and vice president of the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM). Abdul Rahman Solah Rasheed formerly held the roles of director and acting secretary-general within the ECM. Additionally, he served as the responsible officer at the Ministry of Homeland Security and Technology.
President Dr Muizzu submitted the nominations of Zahid and Rasheed following the parliament's decision to remove former ECM Vice Chairperson Ali Nashath and former ECM Member Mohamed Asif from their positions.