Maumoon elected Bar Council President

Maumoon Hameed, on Saturday, was elected as the President of Bar Council, the union of lawyers established to regulate lawyers within their constitutional responsibilities.

The election took place at two polling stations situated in capital Male' and Addu City respectively. A total of 1,600 lawyers were eligible to cast ballots in the election.

Maumoon prevailed against former Attorney General Husnu Al-Suood, the current President of the Presidential Committee on Enforced Disappearances and Deaths. Suood was also the last-elected President of the Bar Association of Maldives, a regulatory body that he initiated in 2012 which was then dissolved by the Supreme Court in 2016.

Attorney General in Mohamed Nasheed's presidency Abdulla Muizzu secured the position of Vice President after contesting against former Civil Court Judge Mohamed Haleem.

In addition to the president, vice president and Attorney General the executive committee consists of six members. A total of 19 lawyers contested for executive member positions on the council.

The difference in votes between all candidates contesting for executive positions is too minor to confirm those who were elected. However, the latest results show Mohamed Faisal, former Prosecutor General Ahmed Muizzu, former parliament member Anara Naeem, former Civil Court Judge Aishath Shujune Mohamed, Secretary General of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Anas Abdul Sattar, and Abdul Maniu Hussain in the lead.

The Elections Commission (EC) is scheduled to announce the final results on Sunday.

The Bar Council's executive committee members will serve for three-year periods and cannot be elected for more than two consecutive terms. The President, however, can only hold the position for one term.

Although the state will allocate a budget for the council, executive committee members will not receive salaries or allowances.

Bar Council is tasked with investigating disciplinary cases against lawyers, issuing legal licences to practice, maintain their integrity and improve the quality of law education.