Concerns raised about using eFaas in Council Elections

Former President Abdulla Yameen and former Home Minister Umar Naseer have voiced concerns about the Elections Commission's requirement to use only the eFaas account to fill the endorsement form for candidates contesting in the Local Council Elections. 

Elections Commission opened applications for candidates running in the Local Council Elections on January 17. 

The deadline for application is midnight on Sunday, February 1. Applications have to be submitted via the commission's My Portal using the applicant's eFaas account to log in. 

Independent candidates are required to submit endorsements from a minimum of 50 individuals, also to be submitted via the portal using endorsers' eFaas accounts. 

Yameen told a People's National Front (PNF) rally last night that courts consider physical documents as valid evidence, so the Elections Commission does not have the authority to entirely disregard paper correspondence. 

He announced that PNF has now raised this matter in court against the commission, expressing confidence of winning the case. 

Umar Naseer, meanwhile, sent a letter to the Elections Commission President Mohamed Zahid, raising concerns that this policy infringes upon the election rights of independent candidates. 

Umar observed that only a small fraction of the population uses eFaas accounts, arguing that making it a requirement undermines the rights of those without them. 

The Local Council Elections, slated for April 4, will elect members in 225 constituencies.