The High Court has yet to determine if it will take on a constitutional case contesting the mandate to utilize eFaas for submitting candidacies and gathering supporter signatures for independent candidates in the forthcoming local council and Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections.

The case was submitted last week by the People’s National Front (PNF). The deadline to submit nominations for the April 4 elections lapsed at 17:30 on Sunday with no reaction from the court.

Former Technology Minister Mohamed Maleeh Jamal stated that the High Court had not provided any updates on the issue when the nomination period ended. He contended that the postponement contradicts judicial norms and constitutional values, pointing out that the court hasn’t determined whether to accept the case.

Ex-President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom expressed worries at a PNF rally on Tuesday evening. He condemned the Election Commission (EC) for mandating eFaas authentication for electoral processes while the courts still depend on paper-based methods. Yameen stated he had submitted a case to the High Court concerning the use of eFaas and felt the issue could have been resolved if the court had intervened before the nomination period concluded.

Ex-Home Minister Umar Naseer has also opposed the compulsory implementation of eFaas. In a message to EC Chairman Mohamed Zahid, he emphasized that independent candidates are required to gather 50 signatures, with each signer needing to confirm their support by logging into eFaas. Umar stated that merely about 10 percent of Maldivians know how to use eFaas and called on the EC to withdraw the mandate.

The High Court has not commented yet on when it will make a decision regarding the case's admissibility.