Adhaalath Party Leadership Candidate Calls for Halt to Online Voting

One of the candidates for the post of President of the Adhaalath Party, Dr. Ikram Abdul Sattar, has requested the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) to stop online voting of the party’s leadership election. 

The deadline for nominations for the post of party president expired on Thursday. Dr Ikram and the party’s current vice-president, Sheikh Mohamed Shifan, are contesting the post.

The party has said that if more than one candidate is contesting, a secret ballot will be held on 31st of this month through an electronic voting system.

In his letter to the ECM, Dr. Ikram said that holding online elections in a manner that disrupts the elections is unacceptable under any circumstances. He highlighted that members had questioned the validity of the election as the last vote for the incumbent Sheikh Imran Abdullah was also conducted online. 

“My rival candidate and his running mate are two vice presidents of the incumbent President Sheikh Imran Abdullah. They are already practically working in the running of the party and if the party votes online, it should be conducted with their participation and assistance,” Dr. Ikram said with concern.

Dr. Ikram holds a first degree, masters and PhD in Sharia and Law from the International Islamic University of Malaysia. Besides teaching law and research at IUM, Dr. Ikram, who is also a lawyer, was an active member of the party since 2005. However, ever since 2017 when Adhaalath Party joined hands with then oppositions, he has been away from the party.

Dr. Ikram’s running mate for the post is Mohammed Muthalib, who is the State Minister of Fisheries in the current government. 

Sheikh Shifan, who is running for the presidency of the Adhaalath Party, holds a degree in jurisprudence from Medina University. He holds a Masters in Business Administration from the Business School.