Four candidates have become Maldives Media and Broadcasting Commission members without a vote because of a lack of competition.

Only six candidates submitted applications to the Elections Commission (EC) by the October 4 deadline. Two of them withdrew their candidacy, while two were rejected.

In an announcement on Tuesday, the EC said four candidates became members of the media control commission without a vote.

The commission consists of seven members. While the four members representing the media were elected without a vote, the other three members will be appointed by the parliament, which is controlled by President Mohamed Muizzu.

Media control commission members elected without a vote

Online category

• Simaha Naseem
• Hussain Sageef

Broadcasting category

• Abdul Aziz Ibrahim
• Zam'ath Ahmed Waheed

Sageef was the President of the Maldives Media Council (MMC), which was abolished following the new Media Control Law. Zam'ath was a member of the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (Broadcom).

Most media outlets have rejected the media control commission, and there was no support or interest among journalists to compete for the commission membership.

The local journalist community and the international community have called on the government to repeal the restrictive media control law.