The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) participated in the 'Regional Conference on Overseas Voting 2026', held in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 1 to 2 September this month. The Commission was represented at the forum by Secretary General Abdullah Unais.
The forum, organised jointly by the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) and the Election Commission of Sri Lanka, brought together senior officials from electoral management bodies and experts in the field to discuss and share principles, challenges and experiences related to voting by citizens living outside their home countries.
The forum provided an opportunity to discuss challenges encountered in designing and implementing overseas voting arrangements, as well as measures required to strengthen the administrative capacity of institutions. Participants also exchanged views on international principles and best practices in overseas voting, drawing on experiences from different countries and discussing ways to adapt such systems to suit different electoral environments.
As part of the forum, Secretary General Unais participated as a panellist in the session titled “Regional Reflections: Lessons, Insights and Shared Questions from Election Management Bodies”. The session provided an opportunity for electoral management bodies to share valuable experiences concerning the challenges faced by different countries in administering overseas voting and the most appropriate approaches to identifying and addressing those challenges.
Through these discussions, participants exchanged views on common issues encountered in operating overseas voting systems effectively, as well as innovative solutions that could be introduced to address them.
In addition to the panel discussions, the Secretary General also participated in the official opening ceremony of the forum and a number of separate meetings held with relevant institutions. According to the Elections Commission, these engagements strengthened ties between regional electoral management bodies and provided an opportunity to gain important practical and administrative knowledge and experience needed to further develop and implement overseas voting systems.
The ECM also said that its participation in the conference provided valuable insights into how overseas voting is conducted in different countries, as well as the institutional, administrative and operational considerations involved in implementing such systems. In addition, it created further opportunities to strengthen professional links among regional electoral management bodies and relevant stakeholders, and to share information, experiences and best practices.
The ECM places particular importance on participating in international and regional electoral forums of this nature to strengthen its technical capacity, reinforce its relationships with international institutions and learn from the experiences of other countries. The Commission said such activities are an important means of further strengthening its institutional capacity and improving the administration of all stages of the electoral process in the Maldives.