News Desk
MALE ‘— The Elections Commission (EC) has launched a targeted effort to overhaul its regulatory framework, placing its highest priority on standardising the rules used to penalise political parties.
The initiative marks the resumption of structured discussions between the electoral watchdog and political entities following an approximate one-year hiatus.
Speaking to PSM News regarding the ongoing meetings, EC member Hassan Zakariyya stated that the commission believes it is vital to maintain a fair, transparent, and universally accepted set of rules when executing actions against political organisations. He noted that the commission’s primary objective is to refine and strengthen these regulations through direct consultation with the parties themselves.
The bilateral talks, which have been underway for the past fortnight, are initially being conducted on an individual basis. Thus far, the commission has met separately with the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the Maldives National Party (MNP). According to Zakariyya, these opening sessions focused on resolving operational difficulties and exploring potential regulatory amendments to ease administrative coordination for the parties.
If the current schedule holds, the EC expects to conclude individual consultations with all registered political parties by early August. Following these standalone sessions, the commission intends to bring all parties together to begin joint plenary discussions.
The watchdog is also calling for broader civic engagement, urging the public to filter their views through their respective party channels.
‘These meetings are being conducted individually at first,’ Zakariyya explained. ‘However, when it comes to discussing and finalizing necessary amendments, everyone will sit at the same table. If there are changes the public wishes to see, they should bring them to the attention of party leadership. We highly encourage public feedback to reach us through the parties.’
The EC has previously found success in amending the Political Parties Act by building consensus across the political spectrum—a collaborative approach officials say they will continue to prioritise to ensure orderly political governance.
