The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has announced that only two countries have met the requisite re-registration quotas for overseas voters to participate in the upcoming parliamentary election.
Re-registration was initiated by ECM on February 1, with the deadline set for February 7. Within this timeframe, Sri Lanka and Malaysia were the only countries where the necessary number of overseas voters re-registered. To establish a ballot box in a foreign nation, a minimum of 150 registrants is required.
In a statement on X, Vice President of ECM Ismail Habeeb revealed that a total of 13,378 individuals submitted re-registration applications during the open period, out of which 11,919 were successfully re-registered. He, however, said that 1,459 applications were rejected. Habeeb said that ECM has decided not to prolong the re-registration window but will consider offering another opportunity if the parliamentary election is scheduled after Ramadan.
ECM has set March 17 as the date for the parliamentary elections. However, an amendment to the Elections General Act has been proposed to postpone the election due to its overlap with Ramadan. The amendment has been passed by the parliamentary committee and forwarded to Parliament. Should the amendment pass, the election will be postponed by 10 days after Ramadan concludes.
Habeeb also disclosed that ECM began accepting applications from candidates on January 30. So far, only 11 individuals have submitted their application forms, with 10 of them being accepted by the commission.
ECM released the necessary forms in January, to facilitate those interested in contesting the parliamentary election. Additionally, the commission decided to acknowledge criminal records issued by the Department of Judicial Administration (DJA) and the Maldives Correctional Service (MCS) after December 14 of the preceding year.