Voting has officially commenced across all polling stations in the Maldives for the Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections, as well as the national referendum, the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has confirmed.
Although voting was scheduled to begin at 08:00, minor delays were reported at some stations due to the absence of the two required public observers needed to initiate proceedings. However, the Commission stated that voting is now fully underway nationwide.
Speaking during live coverage, ECM Vice President Abdul Rahman Salah Rasheed said the Commission began accepting complaints from 05:00, with 10 cases reported so far. These include allegations of campaigning during restricted hours and concerns about ballot validity, particularly as voters are required to cast three separate votes on the same day.
He confirmed that polling will continue from 08:00 to 16:00, with queues closing promptly at the designated time. Voters already in line at 16:00 will be allowed to cast their ballots before polling officially ends. Ballot boxes will then be sealed, followed by a 30-minute break before vote counting begins.
With three concurrent voting processes taking place, each voter will be issued three ballot papers. Officials have reiterated that no voter will be questioned about their choices.
A total of 294,876 people are eligible to vote, including 144,506 women and 150,370 men. The council elections feature 1,592 candidates, while 1,368 candidates are contesting seats in the Women’s Development Committees. Altogether, 1,356 positions will be filled through the elections.
