New 2025 Leadership
2025: AGM & Leadership Elections
Elections FAQs
The National Council of the MCB has appointed Mr Khalid Sofi as the Election Commissioner (EC) for the 2025 election of office holders and members of the National Council. He is supported by a team of expert volunteers who are not standing for election but have extensive experience and knowledge of the MCB’s Constitution and workings.
The Election Commissioner oversees the election process, ensuring it is fair, transparent, and conducted according to MCB’s rules and guidelines.
The election will take place in January 2025. At the same time, there will be the election of the Deputy Secretary General and members of the National Council for 2025-2027.
Before the COVID pandemic, MCB AGMs were traditionally held in the summer. However, due to the lockdown in 2020, the AGM was postponed from the summer of 2020 to January 2021. As AGMs must be held within one year, January has remained the designated month ever since.
The AGM will be an in-person event only on Saturday 25th January 2025. It will not be a hybrid event.
The AGM will be held at the London Muslim Centre, East London Mosque. 82–92
Whitechapel Road, London E1 1JQ.
Registration is from 9am and the main event will start at 10am and conclude with maghrib prayer around 4.48pm.
Currently, the plan is to hold the event in person as scheduled.
A Secretary General can serve a maximum of two consecutive terms, with each term
lasting two years
Yes. All affiliate organisations must update the MCB with any changes to their contact details, such as address or phone number. Before the election, organisations will be contacted for their delegate(s) details.
This depends on the organisation’s affiliation type
- National body: Up to 3 delegates.
- Regional body: Up to 2 delegates.
- Other – Local/specialist body: 1 delegate.
The affiliation type is decided by the MCB’s Membership Committee (or in some cases by the National Council) based on rules defined in the Constitution and Standing Orders. A delegate can only represent one organisation at the AGM.
National and Regional bodies are encouraged to include female representation.
The voting is of two types:
- For the National Council: prior to the AGM, each delegate is provided an online form to nominate up to five individuals from the List of Registered Delegates, two of whom should be in the same zone as the delegate (the zone code is indicated on the List of Registered Delegates). Self nomination is allowed. The Election Commissioner subsequently uses this information to prepare the NC ballot papers. Delegates will find the ballot papers in their delegate pack given at the time of registration on 25th January. The white ballot paper will be the ‘Women only’ list; the yellow ballot paper will be the ‘General list’. The ballot papers will indicate how these are to be completed.
- For the posts of Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General: the Election Commissioner issued a call for candidates in October 2024. Applications were vetted and eligible candidates’ details and manifestos published on the MCB website in November 2024. At the AGM on 25th January, delegates will find two further ballot papers in their delegate pack: blue ballot paper for the Secretary General election; pink ballot paper for the Deputy Secretary General. The ballot papers will indicate how these are to be completed.
- Voting is by secret ballot
The only data published on the MCB website are the manifestos of candidates standing for the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General posts.
Changes are only allowed in exceptional circumstances and must be approved by the
Election Commissioner.
Delegates should carefully consider their candidacy before committing. If withdrawal is absolutely necessary due to unforeseen circumstances, this must be requested in writing to the Election Commissioner.
No. The primary role of an NC member is to support and prioritise the work of the MCB. It is not a platform to lobby for or promote your own organisation. The National Council is the decision-making body of the MCB when the AGM is not in session, and it meets quarterly. The office bearers are accountable to the National Council. The NC comprises the SG, DSG, 28 nationally elected members (including a minimum of 6 women), 12 zonally elected members, and from affiliates in the national and regional affiliate type category, their direct representative. There can also be a number of co-opted members. To preserve the democratic principle, the number of direct representatives plus co-opted members must not exceed the elected members.
No, delegates must be directly associated with the organisation to ensure proper
representation.
Yes. A person cannot stand for both the position of Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General. In both cases, the person must be a delegate and also nominated to the National Council.
Delegates are expected to attend the AGM in person. However, if they cannot attend the AGM then they cannot participate in the in-person election process at the AGM.
Each delegate is entitled to one vote from themselves and not for other delegates from their organisation.
Disputes are handled by the Election Commissioner, who will investigate and make a final decision in line with MCB’s regulations. The Election Commissioner’s decision will be nal.
Concerns can be raised by contacting the Election Commissioner [email protected]
Non-delegates are welcome as guests/observers by completing an online registration form. Limited places are available, and conditions apply. A registration link will be provided to delegates to provide to their network ahead of the AGM. It can also be obtained by emailing [email protected]
There are no fees for participating in the election process. However, delegates or organisations may need to cover their own travel and accommodation expenses if required.
Election results will be announced at the end of the AGM and published on the MCB
website shortly after.
The data capture software and online platform selected is GDPR compliant. All matters relating to voting choices and counts are confidential to the Election Commissioner, Khalid Sofi, and a team within the MCB office. Any external technical consultants involved are required to sign a non-disclosure agreement. No one standing for the election will have a role in the counting process.
Secretary General (SG) and Deputy Secretary General (DSG) – elected by direct vote of delegates. Three Assistant Secretary Generals (ASGs) & Treasurer and assistant
treasurer – appointed at the first National Council meeting or subsequently, by
recommendation of the Secretary General and with approval of the National Council.
Yes, while preserving an ethos of mutual respect and cordiality. The MCB office will provide candidates the list of registered delegates with their organisation name. It does not provide delegates’ contact details (email, phone number, home address) or help with any canvassing.
The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) is divided into 12 geographical regions: 9 in England, and 1 each in Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland. Zonally elected members play a key role in ensuring geographical representation within the organisation’s decision-making process.
Each affiliate is assigned to a zone based on its postcode. For national and regional affiliates, this is determined by the postcode of their head office. The List of Approved Delegates will indicate each delegate’s zone code.
- Reports will be presented by the Secretary General, Treasurer, and other office bearers of the 2024–2025 term, followed by a Q&A session.
- Resolutions for constitutional amendments will be presented and require approval by two-thirds of the delegates present.
- The programme will include the announcement of election results, and an address by the newly elected Secretary General for 2025–2027.
Please follow the instructions below:
- Check that you are using the email your organisation provided during the delegate registration process. This is the only email the MCB will use to provide access to the voting system.
- Check ALL your email folders including “Spam”, “Deleted” and other folders.
- If you still do not find the email then email us immediately at [email protected]
You should have been contacted by the delegate who has proposed you to seek your agreement but this is not possible and a judgement may have been made based on the profile provided. NC membership is a responsibility and a trust and so an opportunity to serve our faith and community with sincerity. You should only withdraw as a last resort and do so by notifying the Election Commissioner, who will then request delegates to cross your name off the ballot papers.
These deadlines are strict and if you miss it for any reason, you will miss the opportunity to vote.
If you have any queries or questions about the election process, please contact: [email protected]
No, there will be no proxy voting and only those delegates who attend the AGM can vote on the day.
