The High Court has dismissed a case challenging the Elections Commission’s (EC) requirement for candidates in the upcoming Local Council elections to use “eFaas” for submitting forms and for independent candidates to demonstrate support. The case was filed on behalf of the People’s National Front (PNF), led by former President Abdulla Yameen, by the party’s Senate member and legal representative Adam Aasif.

The High Court Registrar decided not to hear the case, stating that while the plaintiff claimed making documents and fee payments through eFaas conditional for running in elections was unlawful, they had not clearly demonstrated how this violates legal principles. PNF had requested the court to determine that requiring independent candidates to fill out the support forms from 50 people through eFaas contradicts the General Elections Act and the Council Elections Act. According to the party, eFaas is not a system commonly used among all citizens of the Maldives, and mandating a specific digital system for exercising electoral rights is not legally permissible.

The Elections Commission opened candidacy for this election under a completely new procedure. Instead of submitting paper forms as in previous elections, all candidate transactions must be conducted through the EC’s portal using eFaas. The candidacy deadline was last Sunday, and the court had not made any determination in this case by then. With the High Court Registrar’s decision, the administrative work for the election will proceed according to the digital system established by the EC.