The Elections Commission (EC) has reported that over 47,000 voters have applied for re-registration to cast their votes in locations different from their original place of registration for the second round of elections.
EC said that it received more than 47,000 forms by the deadline which was set for 4:00 pm yesterday. From these, over 19,000 forms have already been processed for re-registration.
The remaining forms is currently under verification, and the entire list will be made available for complaints once this process is completed, according to the EC.
The opposition has raised concerns about the higher number of re-registrations in comparison to the 42,000 re-registered in the first round of the presidential election held on September 9. There are allegations that these re-registrations are being conducted without the knowledge of the individuals, raising suspicions of attempted vote manipulation.
Additionally, re-registration is now available online, and there have been allegations that the portal is being accessed or manipulated by external party's outside the EC's control.
While EC has denied these allegations, they have stated that the complete list of individuals who have been re-registered to vote in the second round will be published in the gazette and on the EC's website after the complaint process is concluded. This information will also be shared with the candidates and political parties.
The second round of the presidential election will be contended by opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and People's National Congress (PNC) coalition candidate, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, and the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
The second round of voting will be held on September 30.
Sign In