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File photo: Elections Commission (Photo: @ElectionsMv/X)

MALE, Maldives : The Elections Commission (EC) says political party membership registers maintained since the introduction of the eFaas digital identification system are "100 percent accurate," insisting the platform has eliminated the risk of individuals being enrolled in political parties without proper verification.

Speaking on PSM's Raajje Miadhu programme on Monday night, Election Commissioner Hassan Zakariyya said the transition to eFaas had significantly strengthened the integrity of the political party membership registration process.

According to Hassan, before adopting the eFaas system, the EC opened party membership registers for public complaints and reviewed allegations that names had been added without individuals' consent. He said the commission proceeded with the transition only after verifying the accuracy of the existing records.

"I can give that assurance that the registers established under the existing system are 100 percent accurate," Hassan said, adding that the registers maintained through eFaas are valid and reliable.

The eFaas platform requires digital identity verification during the membership process, which the EC says prevents political parties from registering individuals without their knowledge or approval.

Concerns over the authenticity of political party membership records intensified in early 2025, following allegations that the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) had submitted invalid membership forms. The EC reopened political party registration on January 23, 2025, after receiving complaints, while the opposition filed a police case seeking an investigation into the matter.

The controversy deepened

after leaked photographs circulated on social media allegedly showing political appointees and senior government officials, including Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusan, inside a Department of National Registration (DNR) meeting room after working hours. The images appeared to show officials cropping identity card photographs and manually completing PNC membership forms.

The PNC later acknowledged that some invalid forms had been submitted to the EC but maintained that the errors were unintentional, arguing there had been no reliable mechanism to verify the authenticity of membership forms before the implementation of the eFaas system.

The EC maintains that the introduction of eFaas has addressed those concerns by requiring secure digital verification for all new political party registrations, ensuring the integrity of the current membership database.