Parliament OKs Haseeb for EC membership

The Parliament on Tuesday approved Abdul Haseeb Ismail for appointment as a member of the Elections Commission (EC), as a replacement for the commission’s chairperson Fuad Thaufeeq, whose term is set to expire later in November.

The term of longtime commissioner Fuad is set to expire on November 24.

Haseeb was nominated as Fuad’s replacement by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, whose letter was read at the Parliament when it reopened after recess on October 14. Haseeb was vetted by the Independent Institutions Committee.

He passed the final floor vote taken on Tuesday afternoon with a unanimous vote of 67.

Haseeb was appointed as the permanent secretary at the Islamic Ministry in 2019, but was suspended and later dismissed in 2021, following allegations of ill treatment of the ministry’s staff.

He currently serves as an assistant director at the EC.

Applications for the upcoming vacancy at the five-member EC opened on September 12.

Fuad had served as a member of the EC from 2008-2014, serving as the commission’s chairperson from 2009-2014.

He was reappointed to the EC in 2019, and as the commission’s chairperson in 2021.

The term of a member of the EC is five years. The law bars commissioners from serving more than two consecutive terms.

The incumbent members of the EC other than Fuad are deputy chairperson Ali Nashath, Dr. Mohamed Zahir, Mohamed Asif, and Hassan Zakariyya.