Primaries of political parties should be held transparently, Elections Commission Vice President Ismail Habeeb has said.
Speaking to Adhadhu, Habeeb said the public has concerns about the internal elections of political parties and that the rights of candidates and voters should be protected in the internal elections.
The voting system for internal elections and primaries should be as transparent as possible and trusted by the public, he said.
"The parties should hold the votes in such a way that the rights of candidates and voters are protected. We urge them to do so. There should be transparency and monitors and observers should be able to participate in the process," he said.
There has been criticism and concern following the recent Democrats' internal election of which the results were announced a day after polls closed.
Habeeb said the current electoral system in Maldives is very transparent and the recent presidential election concluded smoothly because of that.
"Our appeal is to hold the internal elections of the parties as transparently as possible under the existing electoral system in the Maldives," Habeeb said.
The Elections Commission has urged the parties to hold primaries for the upcoming parliamentary elections transparently he added.
