The President of the Elections Commission (EC), Fuwad Thawfeek, has said the commission is no longer considering adopting an electronic voting system.
Since 2008, the idea of using an e-voting system has been discussed, and meetings have been held with political parties regarding adopting such a system.
Appearing on AVAS' 'Suvaalakahfahu Suvaaleh' talk show, Fuwad Friday said the commission considered an e-voting system in 2008 as a manual voting system would be costly. Each ballot printed for elections costs MVR 39, and this is a significant amount, said Fuwad, adding that each ballot paper is printed in color and has special security features.
In contrast, if an e-voting system is used, the printing cost and human resource costs can be cut, said Fuwad. Despite an electronic system making sense financially, political parties do not agree that adopting such a system is a wise idea, he added.
'We do receive support from whichever party is in power at that time. However, opposing parties disagree to adopt e-voting,' he said.
Fuwad said it is not just political parties who are apprehensive about e-voting and that the public, too, has concerns. He said the people question whether the election's fairness can be determined if an e-voting system is used.
'The expenditure on elections can be significantly lowered if we use an e-voting system. However, it is clear that the change is not something the people want at this time. We, at the commission, do not believe the people are mature enough to accept such a system - both the citizens and political parties,' Fuwad explained.
Fuwad further said back in 2008, then main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supported e-voting, although the opposing Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) was against it. Similarly, in 2013, the then ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) supported e-voting while MDP was against it, he said. As political parties prefer manual voting at this time, the commission, at this time, is no longer considering changing the current system to an electronic system, he said.
Parliament Speaker and former President of the Maldives, Mohamed Nasheed, has hinted that a referendum will be taken to decide on changing the Maldives' government system at the end of 2022. In a message sent to MDP's National Council members, Nasheed had said the referendum would take place in November 2022 and that political parties supported the idea.
When discussing the budget for 2022 at the Parliament's budget committee, commission member Habeeb had said it is essential to create awareness among the public regarding such a vote, as there was a possibility of holding a referendum next year, and requested to allocate a budget for the purpose.
Regarding Habeeb's statement, Fuwad said he made the statement not because a vote is unavoidable next year but as an example of the need for voter education. The decision on a referendum is not a decision for the commission, and no discussions on the matter have taken place, Fuwad said.
