The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has urged political parties to hold early primaries to elect their candidates for the 2024 parliamentary election.
Speaking to PSM News, Vice President of ECM Ismail Habeeb highlighted the necessity of completing all parliamentary election-related tasks one month before the new members are sworn in. As such, he noted the processes related to the election of members for the parliament should conclude before April 29 next year.
Additionally, Habeeb mentioned that the election date is under consideration due to the overlap with the holy month of Ramadan and precautions are being taken to avoid disruptions to school examinations since schools will be used as polling stations. He highlighted the importance of political parties prioritising the completion of primaries before the commencement of the parliamentary election.
ECM has already released a preliminary report outlining constituency designations for the parliamentary election. The report showed that 93 seats have been allocated for the next parliamentary election, which is an increase of six seats. ECM has also initiated the recruitment of officials for the upcoming parliamentary election.