Indian and Maldivian Elections Commissions agree upon a roadmap for future cooperation 

The  Elections Commission of India and the Elections Commission of the Maldives have  agreed upon a roadmap for future cooperation. 

A team of senior officers of Election Commission of India comprising of Dr. Alok Shukla, Deputy Election Commissioner of India and Umesh Sinha, Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh (India), arrived in the  Maldives at the request of Elections Commission of the Maldives on 4thMarch 2013 to study the functioning of Elections Commission of the Maldives.

According to the Indian High Commission the visiting team made recommendations to  Elections Commission of the Maldives to prepare them for the Presidential Elections and the Local Council Elections in 2013 by strengthening weak areas of Commission Administration, to identify new processes and methodologies for Elections Commission of the Maldives to improve voter confidence and reduce election related complaints and to identify ways in which Elections Commission of the Maldives and Election Commission of India can work together for improvement.

Chairman and members of Elections Commission of the Maldives met the Election Commission of India team on 5th March 2013 and explained to them the vision and concerns of Elections Commission of the Maldives.

Elections Commission of the Maldives specially asked the team of Election Commission of India to suggest measures for better implementation of the Strategic Plan of the Commission. The team of Election Commission of India has  kept this as the focus of the study. As part of the exercise, the team held detailed discussions with the sections heads and other staff of Elections Commission of the Maldives. Election Commission of India team also visited two islands, Mamigili and Fenfushi and met with the chairmen and members of local councils of these two islands. In Fenfushi the team also met the President of Fenfushi Zuvanun Ge Dhirun.

The team of ECI has presented detailed recommendations to Elections Commission of the Maldives on 10th March 2013. A roadmap for future cooperation between Elections Commission of the Maldives and Election Commission of India has been  agreed upon. According to this roadmap Elections Commission of the Maldives shall nominate one nodal officer who will work with ECI to develop a detailed Project for assistance by Election Commission of India. The Project shall be submitted by Elections Commission of the Maldives to Election Commission of India through Government of Maldives. The Project will be appraised by Election Commission of India and submitted to Government of India (GOI) for execution.