Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has revealed that more than 1,300 individuals have applied for re-registration for the presidential election in the first three days.
ECM stated that it has received 1,321 re-registration forms from July 16-18, which includes 1,185 online forms and 136 physical forms. ECM has so far rejected 300 forms and most of the forms were rejected as the applicants had already re-registered to Male' in the 2020 local council elections while some were rejected due to expired national ID cards. The electoral body stated that the information on the re-registration forms will be made available on its website to ensure maximum transparency in the election process.
The opportunity to re-register is open from July 16 to August 5. However, the opportunity for online re-registration will close on July 31, after which, voters will have to submit physical forms until August 5. Forms can be submitted to Dharubaaruge' convention centre, the main headquarters of ECM, or focal points in the atolls. In addition, an individual is limited to submitting 10 forms at a time for online re-registration but a political party or an official institution can submit 100 forms at a time with their stamp and an official letter.
ECM introduced online re-registration to enhance convenience and accessibility and facilitate an easier registration process for the general public. The electoral body stated that individuals who re-registered to vote in the 2020 local council elections will not need to go through the re-registration process again for the upcoming presidential election.
The presidential election is scheduled to be held on September 9 and a possible second round will be held on September 30. The eligible voting population for the presidential election is 282,672 voters and ECM has decided to place 604 ballot boxes for the election.