Elections Commission has assured parliamentary elections will proceed according to the schedule, despite the Supreme Court decision to nullify the amendment to Political Parties Act, which states persons defeated in party primaries cannot compete at the relevant elections.
In a tweet posted following the order, President of Elections Commission Ahmed Shareef said although Supreme Court has ordered the contestants defeated from political party primaries can submit candidature forms before March 4, the parliamentary elections will be held on April 6 as scheduled.
Speaking to PSM News, Vice President of Elections Commission Amjad Musthafa stated the electoral body will abide by the Supreme Court order. In this regard, Amjad said candidature opportunities will be opened until March 4 or until a later date. The Supreme Court order will vastly challenge the Elections Commission to hold the polls on the mentioned date, Amjad highlighted.
While the parliamentary elections will elect 87 members, 395 individuals submitted candidature forms. However, Elections Commission said one contestant has now withdrawn the form.
The Elections Commission has decided to place 507 ballot boxes for a total of 264,589 eligible voters.