The Elections Commission (EC) has denied allegations made by the opposition MDP that the ruling PNC has the opportunity to view information regarding candidates contesting the upcoming Local Council Elections in April via the EC portal. MDP stated that when endorsing independent candidates via eFaas, that information is immediately received by the PNC, noting as an example that the information of a candidate from Th. Vilufushi was leaked in this manner.

Refuting these claims, EC Vice President Abdul Rahman Salah stated that political parties can only access the ‘Simedha’ portal specifically dedicated to parties. He further stated that no party has been granted permission to view candidate information via the EC’s main portal, and access to that portal is restricted solely to relevant EC staff. Salah noted that even the members of the Commission do not have such access.

While the deadline for submitting forms for candidates contesting the election expires on the first of next month, the Commission has instructed that independent candidates must obtain the endorsement of 50 people via the EC portal.