EC says party registers created under eFaas system are fully accurate

The Election Commission (EC) has stated that the registers of political parties created since the introduction of the eFaas-based membership system are “100 percent accurate.”

Speaking on PSM’s Raajje Miadhu programme on Monday night, Election Commissioner Hassan Zakariyya said the shift to eFaas has eliminated the possibility of anyone being registered in a political party without the knowledge of an EC official.

Hassan said the EC opened party registers for public complaints before transitioning to eFaas, allowing the commission to verify whether any names had been added without consent. He said the switch to eFaas was made only after confirming the integrity of the existing registers.

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

Concerns over fraudulent membership submissions escalated early last year, after allegations that the ruling PNC had submitted invalid forms. The EC reopened party registration on January 23 last year amid complaints, and the opposition filed a police case seeking an investigation.

The issue intensified in early 2025 when leaked photos circulated on social media showing political appointees and senior officials, including Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusan, inside a DNR meeting room after working hours. The images showed officials cropping ID photos and manually filling out PNC membership forms.

The PNC later acknowledged submitting some invalid forms to the EC, but said the errors were unintentional and occurred because there had been no reliable way to verify authenticity before the introduction of eFaas.