March 6 Elections Not Possible: Shareef

The local elections slated for March 6 of this year cannot be held because of the state of emergency, said the President of the Elections Commission Ahmed Shareef.

In an interview given to Hurihaa, Shareef claimed that the elections cannot be held on March 6 unless the ongoing state of public health emergency was lifted. He also said that since the state of emergency had been extended until February 3, it would therefore not be possible to hold elections on March 6.

The local elections were originally slated to be held on April 4, 2020 but had to be delayed on account of the COVID-19 health crisis. The Constitution had to be amended to delay the Elections, and a Sunset law had to be passed and ratified by the President.

According to Shareef, holding the elections prior to May 10 as per the new laws was outside the Election Commission’s control.