The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has begun accepting complaints regarding the voters' list for the upcoming parliamentary elections.
ECM stated that 284,327 individuals are eligible to vote in the parliamentary elections, including 139,165 women and 145,162 men. It is also 1,523 more than the number of eligible voters in last year's presidential election. Notably, a total of 282,804 individuals were deemed eligible to cast their ballots during the second round of the presidential election.
The voters' list has been published in the Government Gazette and individuals can check their names on the list via SMS. The list is also available at the local council offices. Complaints can be submitted between 0830hrs to 1500hrs on official working days, 0900hrs to 1500hrs on holidays, and 1500hrs to 1700hrs on Fridays.
ECM stated that complaints are to be submitted to the election headquarters in the Dharubaaruge convention centre in the capital Male' City or the local council office of an island. The deadline for submitting complaints is January 21.
ECM has scheduled the parliamentary elections for March 17, during the month of Ramadan, as there would have been administrative challenges if the election was scheduled for a later date. The electoral body noted that the last 10 days of Ramadan has been declared as public holidays, which would cause challenges in coordinating with government ministries and state agencies if the election was scheduled after the fasting month.