Nasheed: Council elections must be held as soon as possible, even if through legal revisions

Parliament Speaker, former President Mohamed Nasheed has called for the Local Council Elections to be held as soon as possible, stating that it must be done even if it requires legal revisions.

Elections Commission had made preparations to hold the postponed elections in March, but warned the elections cannot be held in March if the state of public health emergency is not lifted by this Tuesday, January 5.

Health Protection Agency (HPA) extended the state of public health emergency by another 30 days last Monday, resulting in further delay to the elections, which was originally scheduled to be held in April 2020.

The date when the elections can be held remains uncertain.

In a tweet on Monday night, Nasheed said that he believes it crucial to hold the elections as soon as possible.

“I also believe it crucial to revise the law to get this done, if necessary,” he said.

The elections were postponed by passing Special Provisions Act on Local Council Elections.

According to Article 7 of the Act states, Local Council Elections must be held once the state of public health emergency declared over the pandemic is lifted, and after the relevant state institution establishes that holding the election will not pose a threat to public health.

Elections Commission’s chairman Ahmed Shareef expressed concern over the provision on Monday, stating that it infringes on the commission’s authority to hold elections.

Elections Commission had engaged in discussions with the HPA regarding the elections in December, but was told by the agency that the state of public health emergency cannot be lifted by March.

With the long delay in the elections, more than 100 candidates have withdrawn their names from the race.

The opposition has accused the government of deliberately delaying the elections to prevent defeat.