Elections Commission of Maldives has raised doubts whether the parliamentary elections can be held without a sufficient budget. On several occasions, the Elections Commission has revealed it would be a challenge to hold the elections if the necessary budget is not provided.
Although over USD 5 million was allocated in the state budget, the commission had requested the budget committee to increase the allocation to USD 8 million, as the parliamentary elections had been scheduled to be conducted in March. In response, the budget committee allocated an additional USD 600,000 for the commission.
However, member of elections commission Ahmed Akram said Ministry of Finance has informed the increased amount was not included in the budget report.
The commission stated it is now working to overcome the obstructions to receive the funds. In this regard, electoral body has met with Parliament Speaker Qasim Ibrahim to seek a solution for the issue.
The Elections Commission has scheduled the parliamentary elections for April 6.