Lawyer Noorbaan Fahmy has been elected as a member to the Maldives Bar Council’s Executive Committee.

While the by-election for the seat was held on Saturday, two candidates had vied for the seat. Noorbaan was up against Abdul Salaam Arif who lost the election with a difference of four votes.

As such, Fahmy won 101 votes, while Arif fell behind with 97.

Out of the eligible 1,487, 202 lawyers cast their votes during the election on Saturday.

Fahmy’s win has since been publicized in the government gazette.

The by-election was scheduled following Aisha Shujoon Mohamed’s resignation from the Bar Council’s Executive Committee on 4 September, after being appointed to the Supreme Court bench.

After the ratification of the Legal Profession Act, an election to appoint members to the Executive Committee was held in July.

The committee consists of President, Vice President, Attorney General and six members, all of whom except for the Attorney General, were elected through votes of local lawyers.

An independent association of lawyers, the Bar Council is tasked with fulfilling responsibilities that come under the Legal Profession Act including the regulation of licenses granted to practice law in the country as well as to oversee and penalize workers in the legal sector.