Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has stated the commission plans to revise the regulations for counting votes in the local council election.
Speaking at the national advisory committee of ECM, President of the commission Ahmed Shareef said the upcoming local council elections will be different from any other election conducted in the past. Noting a single ballot paper will include votes for four different categories, Shareef said new regulations need to be set for counting the votes.
The current regulations state that a ballot paper will be considered null even if a single vote on the paper is invalid. Shareef said ECM plans to revise the regulations so that invalid votes can be nullified according to the respective voting category, rather than declaring the whole ballot paper as null. However, he said any changes will be brought after discussions with the national advisory committee.
While ECM has not publicised regulations on counting votes during past elections, the president of the commission revealed the regulations will be publicised for the upcoming local council elections. He said setting a standard procedure will help to reduce the complications which arise during the counting process.
During the meeting, the national advisory committee also discussed on ways to raise public awareness on the election. ECM revealed during the meeting that an information session will soon be conducted for candidates contesting in the election.