Meeting 3, National Advisory Committee for Elections

11 August 2013

The National Advisory Committee (NAC) is convened by the Elections Commission (EC) and is the highest statutory advisory body for elections. The committee comprises the five members of the Elections Commission, a representative of each of the four candidates contesting the Presidential Elections 2013, a member of the Maldives Broadcasting Commission, Maldives Media Council and the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives, a representative of the Maldives Police Service and civil society.

 

Transparency Maldives’ (TM) Advocacy and Communications Manager, Aiman Rasheed sits on the National Advisory Committee for Elections as the civil society representative.

 

At the third meeting of the National Advisory Committee for Elections held at the Elections Commission’s headquarters on 11 August 2013, Transparency Maldives sought clarifications, made comments and observations and gave advice. Citizen concerns raised through social media were conveyed to EC. A summary of the details follow.

 

1. Members impressed upon the EC the need for SOPs (standard operating procedures) for the proper functioning of NAC.

 

Outcome: EC will circulate an SOP document of the NAC to all members.

 

The need for minute keeping, distribution of minutes ahead of the next NAC meeting, endorsement of the minutes by the NAC, setting an agenda ahead of meeting (members to propose agenda items prior to the meeting),

Other points of note:

  • Registration update by Elections Commission:64,122 re-registered to vote as of 11 August 2013. EC is now processing the final batches of forms.
  • 1,900+, 1,022, 751, 219, 140, 116 voters have registered to vote in Colombo, Trivandrum, Malaysia, London, Singapore and New Delhi respectively.
  • So far, 2,271, 1,530, and 1,399 have requested accreditation as observers (NGO and political parties), media monitors and candidate agents respectively.
  • 77 and 23 international observers and international media monitors have requested for accreditation with the EC respectively.
  • Persons who have registered at a certain location to vote, but a ballot box will not be placed due to low number of voters, will be allowed till 13 August 2013 to re-register at a location of choice.