The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has revealed that only two individuals have submitted their candidacies for the upcoming parliamentary election so far.
The window for interested candidates to submit their candidacy forms opened on January 30 and is set to close on February 14. ECM has advised potential candidates to submit their application forms promptly, emphasising that waiting until the last minute may hinder the resolution of any issues with the form. The deadline for application submissions will not be extended.
Application forms can be obtained and submitted at the Dharubaaruge convention centre from 0900 to 1400hrs, with an additional window for submissions on Friday from 1400 to 1600hrs.
ECM has clarified that both political parties and independent candidates are eligible to participate in the parliamentary election. Independent candidates are required to garner 50 signatures demonstrating support from their constituency. In addition, they must submit criminal and debt records, with records cleared after December 15 being accepted.
With the parliamentary election scheduled for March 17, ECM has initiated the re-registration process, which can only be completed online through the ECM portal. ECM said that individuals should take personal responsibility and re-register at their earliest convenience, as the deadline for re-registration to vote in the parliamentary election is February 7.