Transparency Maldives has confirmed that there were no fraudulent activities in the presidential election held on September 9.
In this year's presidential election, Transparency Maldives dispatched a team of over 400 observers to cover the entire country, including locations where ballot boxes were situated in other countries. According to the Interim Report concerning the first round of voting released by Transparency Maldives, all aspects of the election proceeded smoothly as assessed by the observers. While the report acknowledged minor issues, it stated that the integrity of the voting process remained unquestionable.
The report noted that the configuration of polling stations remained consistent, but differences in station sizes required representatives, observers, and monitors to be in close proximity to the booths in some cases, potentially allowing them to witness ballot markings. Additionally, the report highlighted that voter awareness campaigns in several constituencies were not executed comprehensively, raising concerns about whether the information disseminated by the Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) through social media reached the intended audience.
Furthermore, the report urged ECM to address these issues and proposed modifications to the layout of polling stations to ensure the confidentiality of ballot papers during the second round of elections. It also stated the importance of voters refraining from taking photographs or videos during the ballot paper marking process.