The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has commenced the distribution of ballot papers and other materials to the atolls and other countries in preparation for the second round of the presidential election.
Vice President of ECM Ismail Habeeb said ballot papers and other materials have been distributed to all the atolls except Kaafu Atoll. He said the ballot papers are scheduled to be distributed to all the islands in Kaafu Atoll soon. In addition, he said that ballot papers are scheduled to be distributed to the resorts and other countries on September 29. He also said that the ballot papers will be sent to the polling stations under the supervision of the Maldives Police Service (MPS).
ECM stated that a total of 282,804 eligible voters, including 409 newly registered voters, are included in the final voters' list. The 285,631 ballot papers printed by the ECM for the second round is an increase of 412 ballots in comparison to the 285,219 ballot papers printed for the first round of the election. The regulations require that each ballot box receive a surplus of ballot papers, exceeding the actual number of voters by 1%.
The second round of the presidential election is scheduled to be held on September 30. A second round became necessary as none of the candidates received 50% of the votes to win in the first round. 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 Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).