Supreme Court orders to accept the candidacy of a rejected application submitted for the upcoming local council elections.
Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) rejected the candidacy of an individual seeking to run for a seat of Ihavandhoo Island Council. ECM rejected the application form based on debt records issued by the courts, which showed that he has not been paying outstanding debt. However, the court said the inaccurate records were released to the candidate due to an administrative issue.
ECM refused to accept the correct documents as the deadline to decide on candidate applications had passed. ECM said it does not hold the authority to decide on a candidacy once the deadline is passed.
Reviewing the complaint submitted by the candidate, the Supreme Court ordered the electoral body to accept the candidacy as he is eligible to contest in the election as an administrative issue cannot bar a candidate from competing in an election.