The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has confirmed that 32 candidates have withdrawn from the forthcoming Local Council and Women’s Development Committee elections, reducing the number of contenders ahead of the 4 April polls.
The sequencing of candidate names began on 12 February, closing the window for aspirants to rescind their nominations. Once this process was under way, withdrawals were no longer permitted.
Mohamed Zahid, President of the Elections Commission, gave a detailed account of the departures. He reported that 31 of the withdrawals were candidates for women’s development committees, while only one candidate stepped back from the race for a council seat.
The initial pool of 2,994 applicants has now been reduced to 2,962. The commission has announced that the definitive list of candidates, including their assigned order, will be formally released on 14 February.
The scale of the election highlights its significance, with voters set to elect 626 councillors to Island Councils and 52 representatives to City Councils. An equal number of members will also be chosen to serve on women’s development committees. The electorate comprises 294,937 eligible voters, whose decisions will determine the composition of local governance across the country.