The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has officially confirmed the placement of ballot boxes in three countries in preparation for the upcoming parliamentary election, scheduled for April 22nd, 2024.
Initially planned for March 17th, the parliamentary election saw a substantial increase in the number of polling stations due to the reopening of re-registration for voters wishing to cast their ballots outside their registered island. As a result, ballot boxes will be placed in Colombo, Sri Lanka; Trivandrum, India; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Secretary General of ECM, Hassan Zakariyya, stated that the selection of these countries was based on the number of individuals who had re-registered to vote abroad. The placement of ballot boxes abroad is contingent upon a minimum of 150 registered voters in each location. While re-registrations were observed in London, UK; Abu Dhabi, UAE; and Thailand, they did not meet the minimum requirements for ballot box placement.
Additionally, ballot boxes will be placed in resorts, with a minimum requirement of 30 re-registered voters for each location. The number of designated resorts has increased to 34 following the rescheduling of the parliamentary election, marking an increase of 7 resorts compared to the initial arrangement.
Approximately 600 ballot boxes will be placed for the parliamentary election, with a maximum of 600 individuals allowed to cast their votes at each polling station. A total of 371 individuals are contesting across 93 constituencies.