In a press statement yesterday, the EC said that the media outlets did not contact the commission for their side of the story and “brought the news very irresponsibly in a way that could lead to loss of public confidence in the commission.”

The private media outlets had reported that the PPM founding members were made to wait at the commission when they arrived to submit the forms and none of the EC members were present to receive the delegation, led by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s son Farish Maumoon.

The EC statement noted that the commission had never conducted special ceremonies to receive registration forms.