The Constitutional Court has ruled that the state auditor’s inspection into hiring practices at the National Election Commission(NEC) was unconstitutional and infringed on the election watchdog’s independence. 

The court issued the ruling Thursday, settling a competence dispute brought by the NEC against the Board of Audit and Inspection(BAI).

Since the BAI is an organization under the president, the court said that under the current constitutional system, allowing it to inspect the NEC would risk undermining public trust in the fairness and neutrality of the election watchdog. 

The court continued that such an inspection contravenes the intent of the Constitution, which designates the NEC as an “independent constitutional body” to provide an institutional safeguard against any influence from the president. 

In its petition, the NEC accused the BAI of infringing on its constitutional authority by conducting an inspection into the election body’s hiring practices from June 2023 to February 2025.