‘Challenging but fulfilling’: Fuad marks end of tenure at EC

The chairman of the Elections Commission (EC), Fuad Thaufeeq’s tenure at the commission, which he describes as both challenging and fulfilling, comes to an end on Saturday, after having served the maximum of two five-year terms.

“Today is the last day of my term at the Elections Commission,” noted Fuad in a post on the social media platform X on Saturday, as the 69-year-old thanked all commissioners and staff members who worked with him, as well as political parties, institutions, and members of the general public.

Today is the last day of my term at the Elections Commission. I thank all members and staff who worked with me, including those at Interim EC and 1st EC (Sep. 2008- Apr. 2014).
I also thank all political parties, institutions, and the people for the trust and support given to me.

— Fuwad Thowfeek (@FuwadThowfeek) November 23, 2024

In 2008, Fuad became a member of the Maldives’ very first Elections Commission, set up following the enactment of the new Constitution. He secured his place at the commission with the backing of all political parties operating in the Maldives at the time.

Fuad, with his calm demeanor and openness, is among one of the country’s most popular independent commissioners.

He served at the EC from 2008 to 2014 and from 2019 to the present day.

Fuad told Sun on Saturday that he is happy with his services at the commission, especially regarding the changes implemented within the commission to ensure free and fair elections in the Maldives.

He is also happy with the success in modernizing the commission’s services.

“We have largely left paper and begun providing many of our services online. People can now access services by filling out forms from the comfort of their homes,” he said.

Fuad, who has been serving the state for 35 years, faced multiple challenges in his 10 years at EC. This includes the challenges in making the voter’s list in the 2008 presidential elections – Maldives’ first democratic elections. Back then, many voters had dual registrations in islands and had two different national ID cards. The EC had to ensure that each citizen was registered to one island and had a single ID card, in order to prevent double voting.

Another challenge he faced was in 2013, when the Supreme Court vacated the results of the first round of the presidential elections. The elections were later re-held under tight supervision from the top court and the security forces.

After the elections, Fuad faced a suo moto case at the Supreme Court. On March 9, 2014, Fuad received a suspended jail sentence of six months for contempt of court.

In the suo moto case, Fuad was accused of challenging a Supreme Court ruling that political parties need to meet a 3,000-membership requirement, openly refusing to comply with the ruling, obstructing justice, blaming the court, and violating judicial process.

In addition to issuing the suspended jail sentence, Fuad was also kicked out of the EC.

Following the case, Fuad went into self-imposed exile, living in neighboring Sri Lanka from 2014 to 2018.

He returned to the Maldives and successfully reapplied for membership at the EC in 2019. He joined the commission as an ordinary member, but was appointed as the commission’s chairman on December 15, 2021, following the resignation of then-president Ahmed Shareef.

2023 proved to be another challenging year for Fuad, with members within the EC divided over registering the Democrats – a new party borne out of a deep rift within the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). Fuad was in favor of registering the Democrats after the party completed the required legal formalities. But some of the other commissioners wished to further examine the application.

Amid the difference of opinion, three of the commissioners began to openly refuse to cooperate with Fuad. This happened just ahead of the 2023 presidential elections, and proved to be a challenging time for Fuad.

In his last day at the EC, Fuad hopes future chairpersons of the commission will continue to follow the track the commission is now on.

“I ask that they serve with sincerity. That they put the interests of this country before all else. This country has a culture of blaming past practices and starting anew. This is not the best way. If its wrong it should be abandoned. But starting everything anew – this is not the best way,” he said.

When asked about his future plans, Fuad said that he will next be seen in foreign service. Fuad had previously worked at the Foreign Ministry and at SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) Secretariat.