9,576 eligible to vote in Addu referendum on Saturday

The Elections Commission (EC) has released the final list of eligible voters for the referendum scheduled to take place on Saturday in Addu.

The referendum will be conducted in three islands of the southern atoll: Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo, and Meedhoo. The latter two are separate from the connected islands that make up the Addu City network.

According to the list published by the EC, a total of 9,576 people are eligible to vote in the referendum. The eligible voters are distributed as follows:

A total of 9,721 ballot papers have been printed for the referendum by Novelty Printers and Publishers Pvt Ltd. The breakdown includes:

The EC announcement did not include details regarding the cost of printing the ballot papers.

Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo have long discussed the possibility of forming separate island councils, as both islands are geographically detached from the rest of Addu City. Currently, Addu is administered under a single city council that governs all six islands, including Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, and the four connected islands.

The upcoming vote in Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, and Feydhoo will determine whether separate island councils will be formed. The government has stated that referendums will be held in islands where official proposals for separate councils have been submitted to President Mohamed Muizzu.