HPA yet to greenlight local council elections as deadline looms close

Elections Commission (EC), on Sunday, revealed that the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has not yet granted the required permit to hold the local council elections in upcoming March.

The elections, initially scheduled for April 4, 2020, has been postponed by nearly a year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

EC slated the elections for March 2021 in July, but the special Act passed by the Parliament regarding the elections state that HPA must approve the new date before December 15.

With just two days to the deadline, EC’s President Ahmed Shareef stated that although HPA has not greenlighted the election proceedings, the agency has hinted that the permit will be granted shortly.

“Unofficial sources have confirmed that we will receive the permit during the upcoming week. Then we can begin the election preparations”, he said.

Although the deadline for HPA’s approval falls on December 15, Shareef stated that the election can be held without a hitch if HPA grants the permit any time before January 5.

However, if the agency’s approval passes that date, Shareef warned that the local council election might have to be postponed again, in which case, voting might take place during the month of Ramadan.

“We are assuming that voter turnout may be affected [due to this]”, Shareef said.

According to Shareef, EC decided on March 6 to ensure enough time to hold a second round of elections before Ramadan, if required.

The law requires the Elections Commission to open for re-registration two months prior to the election and grant a period of one month for candidates to conduct their campaigns.

According to the law approved by the Parliament, new candidates will not be allowed to contest for the elections. Therefore, voting will take place for the candidates that had submitted their names as contestants prior to the postponement of the local council elections.

However, Elections Commission confirmed that about 5,000 people who turned 18 within the duration that had passed, will be given voting rights.

Over 4,172 candidates, including independent candidates and those representing political parties, are contesting in the upcoming local council elections. Till date, 71 candidates have withdrawn their candidacies.