Maldives' electoral body, the Elections Commission (EC), has said it has responded to the complaints submitted regarding the permanent list of eligible voters for the upcoming presidential election has been made public.
The presidential election is scheduled for September 9. According to the EC, a total of 282,672 people are eligible to vote in the presidential election, including 138,317 women and 144,355 men.
Earlier this month, the list of eligible voters was made public, and the opportunity to submit complaints was opened from 11 to 22 June. The EC received 551 complaints during the period.
EC's Vice-President Ismail Habeeb said the changes to the voter list resulting from the complaints would be officially published in the gazette this week. The latest list of voters will also be made public, and only those on this list will be able to vote in the first round of the presidential election, he said.
Habeeb stressed the significance of the voter list in ensuring a fair election and urged political parties, candidates, councils, and individuals to verify the accuracy of the list.
According to Habeeb, re-registration will be open from July 16 to August 5 for those voting outside their residential area. Online re-registration will be available from July 16 to July 29, and from July 30 to August 5, re-registration will be available by form only, he said.
The opportunity to apply for candidacy for the presidential election will be open from July 23 to August 7.
The main-ruling MDP has handed over its presidential tickets to its leader, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, while the Jumhooree Party has handed over its ticket to its leader Qasim Ibrahim. The Maldives National Party (MNP)'s President, Mohamed Nazim, will contest on the party's ticket, while the PPM has named its President and former President Abdullah Yameen as the party's candidate. However, President Yameen is serving an 11-year prison sentence, which makes him ineligible to contest the election until a higher court overturns the lower court's sentence.
Former Home Minister Umar Naseer and former Attorney General Dr. Mohamed Munawwar have also said they would contest the election.
