The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has stated that the second round of the presidential election was well conducted, transparent, and democratic.
At a press conference, President of HRCM Mariyam Muna said that the Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) made significant improvements for the second round of the election. These include making the electoral process easier for voters, streamlining the administrative work, and increasing the number of officials at each polling station from eight to 11. As such, Muna highlighted that the second round of the election was better organised compared to the first round. She commended ECM for improving accessibility for people with disabilities and extending the voting hours, which she noted may have been the reason for the higher voter turnout. She also credited the additional training provided to officials for the positive outcome.
Additionally, Muna said that the changes made to the voting booths guaranteed the confidentiality of the vote and that polling stations had opened and closed on time, in contrast to the first round in which 63 polling stations failed to open at the specific time. She also said that there were fewer incidents that required police intervention and more monitors, observers, and candidate representatives were active at polling stations in the second round.
However, Muna pointed out that some observers and representatives displayed inappropriate behaviour by taking close-up photos and speaking loudly at polling stations. She also noted instances where individuals engaged in conversations with voters outside the polling stations, attempting to influence their choice of candidate.
HRCM observed 180 ballot boxes at polling stations during the second round of the presidential election. They included 106 ballot boxes in Male', 70 boxes in the atolls, two in prisons, and two in resorts.