The Parliament has approved the appointment of former lawyer Riffath Abdulla to the vacant seat at the Elections Commission (EC).
The seat was vacated when Commission member Dr. Mohamed Zahir's term came to an end.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu sent Riffath's name to the Parliament as a candidate for the vacant seat. Riffath was interviewed by the Committee on Independent Institutions, with his name being sent to the Parliament floor for approval.
58 members voted in favour of the appointment of Riffath as a member of the EC.
Riffath currently holds the position of Director at the National Integrity Commission, and has defended the EC in major court cases against them.
He has represented the EC in 2016 and 2017 regarding a case surrounding 13 Parliament member seats. He also represented the EC in a case in 2018 regarding the cancellation of the Presidential Election.
As members, the EC currently has EC President Mohamed Zahid, Members Abdul Rahman Solah Rasheed, Hassan Zakariyya and Abdul Haseeb Ismail. Hassan Zakariyya used to be on the commission's legal team in the past.
