President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has ratified the first amendment to the Elections Act.
The bill was passed at the seventh sitting of the second session of the parliament. The ratification reflects the amendments brought to the articles regarding the conducting of an election, the right to vote in an election and the voters registry.
Moreover, President Abdulla Yameen has ratified the first and second amendments to the Presidential Elections Act. The bill was also passed at the seventh sitting of the second session of the parliament. Upon ratification of this Act, a presidential candidate must be a Maldivian citizen born to Maldivian parents and in the event that the individual has held the citizenship of a foreign country, he would be able to compete in the presidential elections after 10 years of renouncing the foreign citizenship. Furthermore, the administrative fee of application for presidential candidature is USD 6,490.
Upon ratification, the Acts have been published in the Government Gazette.