News

ECM undertaking preparations to conduct elections on April 10

Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has stated preparations are well underway to hold the Local Council Elections (LCE) and Women’s Development Committee Elections (WDCE) on April 10 as planned.

Speaking to PSM News, ECM President Ahmed Shareef said despite the challenges caused by the recent surge of COVID-19 cases in the country, ECM has stepped up the preparations for the elections in order to meet the April 10 deadline. Shareef said verification of the voters’ registry is currently ongoing, noting the commission is currently reviewing over 1,700 complaints submitted regarding the voters’ list. He said the list will be re-published on February 28, with re-registration to be opened from March 2 to March 11.

Shareef revealed re-registration will be carried out for individuals who wish to change the voting location which was registered for the elections which were scheduled to be held last year. He also noted those who got registered to vote in Malaysia and the UK must re-register, as it has been confirmed that ballot boxes cannot be placed in those two countries. He added resort employees are also required to re-register for the elections.

ECM had earlier revealed a total of 3,934 candidates will contest in the LCE and WDCE to be held on April 10. This includes 2,264 LCE candidates and 1,670 WDCE candidates.