The People’s National Front (PNF) of former President Abdulla Yameen has appealed against the High Court’s dismissal of its petition against the mandatory use of eFaas to fill out support forms for independent candidates for the upcoming local council elections.

The PNF has also decided to submit a complaint against the High Court Registrar to the Judicial Service Commission (JSC).

PNF Secretary General Mohamed Maleeh Jamal told Adhadhu that the party believes the court's dismissal of the eFaas case filed by lawyer Adam Asif was unlawful.

"The appeal is underway. The submission is underway. The High Court registrar's case is being submitted to the JSC," he said.

Maleeh said the Elections Commission (EC) had imposed a condition that was not in the law and every candidate could not be forced to have an eFaas login.

He added that the High Court's failure to decide on the petition before the deadline for candidacy papers is also unlawful.

Every institution should follow the rule of law, Maleeh said, adding that they cannot set individual conditions on their own. The case was filed to prevent such a thing from happening a second time and because many candidates have lost their electoral rights.

The PNF said it was unacceptable that the 50 endorsement signatures required to be obtained by independent candidates should be verified by each signatory through eFaas.

The High Court decided not to accept the case as it could not be explained that setting such a condition violates laws and rules.

This year, candidates submitted all documents and paid administrative fees through the EC's main portal for the April 4 elections.

The polls will elect members to local councils and WDCs from 225 constituencies. A total of 621 polling stations will be set up for the election.

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has repeatedly called for an extension of the deadline for nominations. But the EC did not provide an extension.