The Parliament has approved the amendment, paving the way for the parliamentary elections scheduled for March 17 to take place after the end of the month of Ramadan.
Parliamentarian Mohamed Shifau presented the bill to the parliament, leading to the establishment of an ad hoc committee tasked with studying its contents.
Following a thorough examination, the ad hoc committee submitted its report to the parliament. Notably, no members advocated for additional amendments or initiated any further debates on the report.
The amendment was passed with 46 votes in favor. The bill is poised to become effective upon receiving approval from the President. Consequently, the parliamentary elections slated for March 17 will transpire 10 days after the conclusion of Ramadan.
According to the amendments, elections are prohibited on any day during Ramadan, irrespective of the provisions outlined in the General Elections Act or any other legislation. If an election coincides with a day of Ramadan, it is mandated to take place ten days after the conclusion of Ramadan.
Furthermore, the amendment stipulated that a vote will be considered valid even if the ballot paper contains a mark considered to be next to a candidate's name. The vote will not be invalidated even if a correct mark is highlighted to complete the mark.
The ad hoc committee, responsible for assessing the proposed amendment to the General Elections Act, has decided to incorporate certain changes into the bill, including adjustments suggested by the Election Commission of Maldives (ECM). One proposed amendment involved publishing the voters register on the ECM website 45 days prior to an election. Additionally, it is recommended to criminalise the display of ballot papers, with penalties for such offenses.
The ECM proposed amendment established the act of showing ballot papers during an election as an offense, punishable by imprisonment for one to three months or a fine ranging from MVR6000 to MVR18000.