Parliament has today voted in favour of appointing Mohamed Shakeel as president of the Elections Commission. 

Shakeel was recently appointed as a member of the Elections Commission following the resignation of the commission's former president Mohamed Zahid. 

The letter from President Dr Mohamed Muizzu nominating Shakeel for the post of EC President was read out in yesterday's parliament sitting. It was then forwarded to the Committee on Independent Institutions, which completed review, after which a final vote was taken in today's sitting. 

In today's sitting, 51 MPs voted in favour of Shakeel's appointment. Eight MPs from opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voted against. 

Until his appointment as a member of the Elections Commission, Shakeel served as the Managing Director of Hajj Corporation. He was also the most recent registrar of ruling People's National Congress (PNC). 

Shakeel has also previously worked at the Elections Commission. He served as Director General, and later as a commission member. After three years as a member, Shakeel resigned in 2018. In a recent parliamen committee meeting, Shakeel said that he had resigned at the time as there was no suitable environment within the commission to allow him to work independently.