Elections Commission of Maldives has decided not to establish polling stations in industrial islands or overseas locations for the upcoming local council elections, citing insufficient voter re-registration.
Vice President of the Commission, Abdul Rahman Solah Rasheed, told Mihaaru News that 26,454 people had applied for re-registration as of Tuesday.
People who applied for re-registration:
- Islands and Male': 24,429
- Prisons: 1,326
- Industrial areas: 11
- Malaysia: 499
- Sri Lanka: 189
No foreign country met the threshold required to place ballot boxes.
Under the Commission’s regulations, ballot boxes in resorts and industrial islands require at least 30 registered voters.
Overseas polling stations require at least 2,000 registered voters in that country, with a minimum of 40 registered voters for at least one constituency.
Solah said the required numbers were not met in any industrial island or foreign country. Only 11 people re-registered to vote at Hulhule' airport.
He added that 30 individuals from 21 different resorts had applied for re- registration.
If a polling station is not established in a selected location, those who re-registered for that station will be given a period to re-register at another polling station. Those who fail to do so within the given timeframe will automatically be reassigned to vote at their place of residence.
