The 7th meeting of the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) on Wednesday concluded in the Maldives.
Officials from 8 SAARC countries attended the meeting, which was held at Bandos Island Resort.
This was the first time the Maldives hosted a meeting of FEMBoSA. The Maldives chaired the meeting which focused on the use of new technologies with the aim of improving the electoral process.
img:http://s2.psmnews.mv/images/660x400/14702447420850.jpg|7th meeting of the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) held in Bandos Island Resort, Maldives - Photo: PSM News
FEMBoSA is a regional establishment for cooperation among the SAARC electoral management bodies. The idea of instituting such a forum was conceived in the first meeting held in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2010. One of the aims of holding the FEMBoSA meetings is to further develop and strengthen relations between electoral commissions of member states in the region.
During the 2-day meeting, each member country submitted papers focused on utilising technology to further upgrade and improve the electoral process for the convenience of authorities and electorates. The discussion also focused on introducing mechanisms to enable voters to submit election registration forms through electronic means.
img:http://s3.psmnews.mv/images/660x400/14702448637714.jpg|7th meeting of the Forum of Election Management Bodies of South Asia (FEMBoSA) held in Bandos Island Resort, Maldives - Photo: PSM News
All 8 resolutions adopted at the meeting would be implemented by all member states of the FEMBoSA. The resolutions relate to the integration of modern technology in electoral process in a way to ensure transparency and fairness.
Speaking to the media after concluding the meeting, Ahmed Sulaiman, President of the Maldives Election Commission, said the meeting helped in further bolstering relations between electoral commissions of SAARC countries.
The second meeting of FEMBoSA was held in Pakistan in 2011 consolidated the plans of formalizing the forum. The formal launch of the FEMBoSA was resolved in the third meeting in New Delhi in 2012 in which a charter of FEMBoSA was signed. The fourth meeting was hosted by the Election Commission of Bhutan in October, 2013 on the theme ‘Sharing Experiences and Resources for Better Electoral Practices in South Asia.’ With the resolution of the fourth meeting, the Election Commission Nepal organised the fifth meeting in November 2014 in Kathmandu with the theme “Regulating Campaign Finance: Ensuring Free & Fair Elections". The 6th meeting of the organisation was held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on the theme ‘Autonomy and Independence of Electoral Management Bodies.