EC to announce abstentions at polling stations
Elections Commission President Mohamed Zahid said voters have the right to abstain from any of the ballots.
The Elections Commission (EC) has stated that voters who choose not to participate in any of the three ballots scheduled for Saturday will have their decision announced at polling stations.
The polls include Local Council Elections, Women’s Development Committee (WDC) Elections, and a constitutional referendum on whether Presidential and Parliamentary elections should be held simultaneously.
Speaking to the press on Friday night, Elections Commission President Mohamed Zahid said voters have the right to abstain from any of the ballots.
He said the same procedure was followed in previous Local Council and WDC elections, where voters were allowed to opt out of selected ballots. The same option will be available in Saturday’s vote.
Zahid said that if a voter declines to take part in a specific ballot, the corresponding ballot paper will not be issued.
“Furthermore, officials will announce the voter’s decision on-site to ensure transparency. This allows observers and all relevant parties to note the instance, ensuring that the final tally is accurately reconciled later,” he said.
He added that the decision will be recorded in an incident report to confirm that the ballot paper was not used.
According to the Elections Commission, 294,876 individuals are eligible to vote. This is the first time in the Maldives that three separate votes are being conducted on the same day.
