A debate over electronic voting emerged in Parliament today during discussions on the government's proposed Digital Transformation Bill, with opposition MDP Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa (Gapo) alleging the legislation could be used to facilitate electoral fraud.

The bill, submitted on behalf of the government by Gadhdhoo MP Mohamed Ali, seeks to establish a legal framework for the digitization of public services under President Mohamed Muizzu's "Maldives 2.0" policy.

During the debate, MP Ghafoor questioned whether the government’s objective was to digitize services or pave the way for electronic voting.

He alleged that the bill could be used to create additional government structures and recruit employees for electoral manipulation.

“This is a bill to go for e-voting. Today, this is a bill to build an additional office and hire employees to steal votes,” he said.

Ruling party People's national Congress (PNC) MP's rejected the accusation, arguing that the legislation contains no provisions relating to elections or electronic voting.

Baarah MP Ibrahim Shujau said there was no reference to e-voting in the bill and accused MP Ghafoor of making false claims.

“If the door to theft is closed through the system, it will affect these people,” MP Shujau said, referring to MDP members.

He said the Digital Transformation Bill was intended to strengthen governance and reduce opportunities for corruption and misuse.

Maafannu West MP Mohamed Musthafa and other members of PNC also responded to Ghafoor's remarks.

MP Musthafa said the bill was not designed to introduce electronic voting and insisted that neither the government nor the ruling party had plans to pursue such a system.

“It is not the intention of our government or the President to go for e-voting,” MP Musthafa said.

Funadhoo MP Mohamed Mamdhooh said he had expected opposition from the MDP when the bill was presented to Parliament, while Feydhoo South MP Ibrahim Didi criticized attempts to generate public concern over legislation before its contents had been properly considered.

“There is nothing about elections in the bill,” Didi said.

The bill has been introduced as part of the government's broader digital transformation agenda, which aims to expand and moderzise the delivery of public services through digital platforms.