Parliament approves appointing Habeeb for second term as EC member

The parliament approved the appointment of current Elections Commission (EC) member Ismail Habeeb for a second term on Wednesday.

Habeeb was appointed through the unanimous approval of the 58 parliamentarians who participated in the vote.

The report compiled by the Committee on Independent Institutions states that Habeeb received a score of 90.28 percent, the highest marks attained by any of the 16 applicants who were considered for the position.

According to the report, the criteria set by the Committee stipulates that a candidate must attain more than 75 percent to be eligible for service in EC.

Out of the 16 candidates, only Habeeb and Ahmed Moosa scored higher than 75 percent.

The elections watchdog opened applications as the expiration date of Habeeb's five-year term neared. While all EC members serve for five-year terms, they are also eligible to hold their positions for two consecutive terms.

Currently, EC is comprised of the commission's President Ahmed Shareef, Vice President Amjad Musthafa, and members Ahmed Akram and Ali Nashaath.