The People’s Majlis has officially approved the appointment of Mohamed Shakeel as the President of the Elections Commission (EC).

Shakeel’s nomination for the head of the electoral body was forwarded to the parliament by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. The top post at the commission became vacant following the resignation of the former EC President, Mohamed Zahid, who stepped down from both the presidency and his membership in the commission.

According to the law, the President of the EC can only be designated after the commission's full statutory membership is fulfilled. Following parliamentary endorsement, the President initially appointed Shakeel as a member of the commission on the 24th of this month, completing the required five-member composition. President Muizzu subsequently nominated Shakeel from among the sitting members to lead the commission, a matter forwarded to the Independent Institutions Committee yesterday for review.

The parliament passed the motion during today's sitting after the committee evaluated the nomination and presented its report to the floor. The appointment was secured with 51 votes in favor out of the 61 members present at the session. Eight members of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) voted against the appointment.

Shakeel has prior experience within the institution, having previously served as an EC member. Alongside Shakeel, the five-member Elections Commission currently comprises Vice President Abdul Rahman Salah Rasheed, and members Hassan Zakariyya, Abdul Haseeb Ismail, and Riffath Abdulla.