Applications have been opened for a vacant position on the Elections Commission (EC), according to an announcement issued today by the President’s Office.

The President’s Office stated that interested individuals may apply for appointment to the commission until 12:00 pm on Wednesday, January 21. Applications will be accepted from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm on all working days, except public holidays.

To be eligible for appointment, applicants must be Muslim Maldivian citizens who are at least 25 years old. They must not have been convicted of a crime under Islamic law within the past five years, must not hold or be eligible for any elected or appointed political office under the Constitution or laws of the Maldives, and must not be employed by the government or any other party.

Applicants must also not be serving a criminal sentence of more than 12 months, and those previously sentenced to more than 12 months must have completed or been pardoned from the sentence at least five years ago. In addition, applicants must not be members of any political party.

The current members of the Elections Commission are President Mohamed Zahid, Vice President Abdul Rahman Solah Rasheed, Dr. Mohamed Zahir, Hassan Zakariyya, and Abdul Haseeb Ismail.