Former Supreme Court Justice Husnu Al Suood has apologised for making false claims against the Elections Commission of Maldives (EC) regarding the upcoming elections.

Suood had taken to X, alleging that the EC was compromising ballot secrecy by proposing that voters would be asked which election they intended to vote in before being issued the corresponding ballot paper. He further claimed that the Commission did not intend to provide all three ballot papers to voters simultaneously.

However, just hours after making these claims, Suood issued an apology on his X account, acknowledging that his statements were baseless. He also expressed appreciation to EC President Mohamed Zahid for clarifying his misconception and ensuring that voters will, in fact, be provided with all three ballot papers without being questioned.

In recent weeks, Suood – a prominent legal expert – has been openly critical of the upcoming elections, including questioning the Government’s intention in holding a public referendum on 4 April. Nevertheless, for a figure of his stature, with decades of legal experience, Suood’s unfounded and defamatory claims regarding the EC raise questions about the sincerity of his stated concern for the public’s electoral rights.