Elections Commissions (EC) on Tuesday withdrew its High Court case seeking to delay the local council and Women's Development Committee (WDC) elections, and filed the matter at the Supreme Court.
In response to a national public health emergency issued last week over the COVID-19 pandemic, the elections body on Sunday filed a case with the High Court, seeking to postpone the upcoming elections indefinitely.
The elections were initially delayed to April 18.
As per local elections law, local elections must be held at least six months prior to the end of councillors and committee members' existing tenure. Citing the last possible date for elections as May 3, the elections body in their High Court case argued that it was not realistic to hold the elections under current circumstances amidst the COVID-19 outbreak in the country.
The commission's vice president and spokesperson Ahmed Akram stated that the matter was withdrawn from the High Court, and instead, filed with the apex court in order to avoid a possible constitutional vacuum in the event local elections were not held as stipulated in the law.
Maldives announced a state of public health emergency last Thursday, under which the government has implemented several measures including travel restrictions to and from resorts, and banning guesthouses and hotels in the Greater Male' region from accepting more tourist bookings for a period of 14 days.
The government also banned entry from Spain and parts of Germany and France, in addition to China, Italy, Iran, Bangladesh and four regions of South Korea.
Currently there are 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Maldives, including a tourist couple on a liveaboard, two cases from Anantara Dhigurah, five foreign nationals from Kuredu Island Resort as well as two foreign citizens from Sandies Bathala and Kuramathi Maldives each. No locals have tested positive for the virus as of yet.
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