Voting has commenced in the highly anticipated Komandhoo by-election.
Voting began at 8:00 am and will go on until 04:00 pm. The final hour of voting has been alloted for those who are positive for COVID-19 and direct contacts. Therefore, the Elections Commission has requested voters to cast their ballot before 3:00 pm.
The Komandoo seat became vacant when MP Hussain Waheed passed away last year on December 14. Three candidates are contesting for the seat: Mohamed Rashid from the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Moosa Fathuhee from the opposing Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), aand Abdul Hannan Idris from Maldives National Party (MNP).
Seven vote boxes have been placed in Sh. Komandoo, Maroshi, Foakaidhoo and the capital, Male': two in Fokaidhoo, Komandoo, and Male', and one in Maroshi. The two vote boxes in Male' City are placed at Iskandhar School.
According to the Elections Commission, 3,309 people are eligible to vote in the by-election. As per the voters' list, 1,409 are eligible to vote while 1,204 people are eligible in Foakaidhoo. In Maroshi, 703 people are eligible to vote in the eletion. However, after re-registration, the total number of eligible voters was revised to 3,316.
The Komandoo by-election is the most competetive election to be held in recent history.
