Pro-government lawmakers have proposed an amendment to prohibit scribbling or drawing on ballot papers besides the check mark next to the name of a candidate, during any election.
The proposed amendment states that ballot papers with scribbles or drawings apart from the check mark next to the candidate name will be counted as invalid. The amendment further states that all invalid votes must be excluded from the total voters' count.
The second amendment proposed was to raise the presidential candidacy deposit fee from MVR 40,000 to MVR 50,000. Presidential candidacy deposit fee is paid to the Elections Commission (EC) by all candidates in the run for presidency.
The pro-government lawyers proposed two amendments to the Presidential Elections Act and one amendment to the General Elections Act, during the parliament sitting on Monday.
The amendments seek to put any candidate that has not held sole Maldivian citizenship for 10 consecutive years prior to the election out of the running, and to ensure equal campaign broadcasts for all candidates.
Sign In