Most of the political parties have opposed the plan of introducing an electronic voting system in the Maldives, Elections Commission said today. Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq said the parties made their remarks at the meeting held yesterday with the visiting International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) delegation to discuss on establishing an electronic voting system for future elections.
“Some noted that it’s wise to continue how voting takes place in the Maldives now while we noticed that most of them still need more information about how the system works. For instance, Adhaalath Party admitted that going along the technological advancements is an option but said they needed more information about the system,” he said.
Fuad said Gaumee Itthihaad Party proposed to go for a public referendum on the matter. “But I don’t think it’s a good proposal. The parliament takes decisions as it consists of representatives of the people,” he said. The Commissioner noted that the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supported establishing the system. “They said that they were in supportive of the new technology and its efficiency. So we don’t think that they’ve any problem with the system,” he said.
Fuad noted that the Commission wants to establish an electronic voting system, which would allow officials to manually check printed result sheets if necessary. “We also want the system to allow us to print and double check the results in case of questionable matters in the election,” he said.
Full Article: HaveeruOnline – Parties oppose introducing electronic voting.