Elections Commission has given the assurance that tablets will not be used in the vote counting process in next week’s polls, the Joint Opposition has said.

Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday evening, main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s legal director, Hisaan Hussain said that the Commission has given them the assurance that the vote counting process will be carried out as the previous years, where votes are counted, announced and pasted on the wall at individual polling stations.

Noting that the handbook for elections officials detail the vote counting process, Hisaan said that it tells them to enter results on to tablet prior to announcing and printing sheet at polling stations.

She said that Commission members had told them that while they had previously decided to use tablets, that it has since been reverted and that the process will be carried out per usual.

While the members are to have told them a statement on the matter will be released on Wednesday, Hisaan emphasized that their responses to all concerns will be publicized.

Ali Niyaz from the Joint Opposition’s campaign committee noted that they had met with Commission officials earlier on Wednesday and shared 13 concerns, adding that they had requested for a response in writing.

While the Commission is to issue a press release, Hisaan added that they are seeking an official amendment to the handbook as a press release ‘could lead to confusion’.

She further called on all elections’ officials stationed at ballot boxes to ‘act within the law’.

While the Commission is to have assured the Joint Opposition that there will be no changes to the cote counting process, earlier on Wednesday Human Rights Watch expressed concern that a new process ‘threatens the prospects for a free and fair election’.

Noting that manipulating the way votes are countered would ‘deny Maldivian people’s right to choose a president’, the organization said that the authorities have ‘misused the Elections Commission to obstruct opposition candidates to ensure President [Abdulla] Yameen a victory’.