Voting begins for the Guraidhoo Constituency by-election.
Voters began casting their ballots in Guraidhoo, Maafushi, and Gulhi in Kaafu Atoll, at 0800hrs on April 15. A total of two ballot boxes were placed in Guraidhoo, two were placed in Maafushi, and one box was placed in Gulhi.
Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) stated that ballot boxes will be closed at centres with no voters present after 1600hrs and that officials will begin counting ballots after 30 minutes. A total of 3,423 individuals are eligible to cast their vote in the by-election.
The candidates contesting the vacant Guraidhoo Constituency Parliament seat include Ibrahim Shaz, who received the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) ticket after winning the primary election, and Ali Areef who received the Maldives National Party (MNP) ticket. The main opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) awarded its ticket to Hussain Riza, the younger brother of the late Parliamentarian Ibrahim Riza who filled the seat for three terms.
The seat became vacant after Parliamentarian Riza passed away on February 23 while undergoing treatment for cancer in Malaysia. Following Riza's death, ECM decided to hold a by-election for the Guraidhoo constituency on April 15 and accepted candidates until the end of March 13.
It is the second time a by-election is being held during the current parliamentary term. The first by-election was held after the death of Parliamentarian Hussain Waheed.