The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has revealed that significantly more voters have registered to cast their ballots in other countries for the second round of the presidential election.
A total of 6,223 voters have registered at polling stations in other countries, which is double the number compared to the 3,327 voters in the first round of the election. Most voters had registered in Malaysia for the second round. The statistics show that 2,520 voters registered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, while 1,310 registered in Colombo, Sri Lanka, and 1,063 registered in Trivandrum, India. In addition, 888 voters registered in London, the United Kingdom (UK), and 442 registered in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The electoral body will place a total of nine ballot boxes in five countries for the second round of the election. The commission noted that some countries faced issues such as delays in the opening of ballot boxes due to voters not arriving at the polling stations on time in the first round.
Therefore, ECM has announced the hours for voting in advance. Voting will commence at 0800hrs and conclude at 1700hrs in Abu Dhabi. In Trivandrum, Colombo, and London, voting will start at 0830hrs and close at 1730hrs. Voting in Kuala Lumpur will begin at 1100hrs and wrap up at 2000hrs. ECM urges individuals living abroad to vote early to ensure their participation in the election.
A total of 282,803 individuals are eligible to cast votes for the second round of the presidential election to be held on September 30. The two candidates who moved on to the second round are Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the candidate of the opposition People's National Congress (PNC), and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the candidate of the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).