Elections Commission (EC) President Ahmed Sulaiman has said that those who speak out against the e-voting system did so, fully well understanding the benefits of the system and did so only to create confusion.
Elections Commission had announced the e-voting system will be announced with the local council elections in January. MDP had criticized the motion, stating that this was part of the move to change the results of the 2018 Presidential elections.
Speaking in the ceremony held last night to recognize the work carried out by various individuals in the democracy week in HA. Huvarafushi, Sulaiman said the e-voting system was proposed in 2011, with the full backing of those in the Government then. He said that it was deeply saddening that the same motion was being labelled foul by the same people who had proposed it in the first place.
"E-voting was first proposed in 2011. Those who praised it then are now singing a new tone," Sulaiman said.
Sulaiman said that various political parties were speaking out against the e-voting system to create confusion and panic among the public, fully aware of the benefits of the system. He said implementing a high tech system in Maldives was not improbable as the country had a high rate of technology adaptation.
"Maldives is rapidly developing, both in technology and infrastructure, there is no reason to step back from an innovative platform. The machine is not linked to the internet. There is no way the system could be tampered with," Sulaiman said.
Sulaiman said the system was successfully used in neighboring countries and that there was no reason for Maldives to languish back in this respect.
