Voting has commenced in the Maldives presidential election.
Polls opened at 8:00 am and will remain open until 4:00 pm.
This is the most hotly contested presidential election to date in the Maldives. A total of eight candidates are vying for the presidency, with three running as independents.
A total of 574 ballot boxes have been set up for the presidential election. Among these, 142 ballot boxes are placed in the capital, Male' City, while an additional eight have been stationed abroad to accommodate overseas voters.
With 282,395 eligible voters participating, a total of 285,219 ballot papers have been printed.
Unlike previous presidential elections, the Election Commission has specified that voters must use a pen with black or blue ink to mark their ballots. Using any other color would deem the vote invalid.
This year's election caters to visually impaired voters, with them having the option to use a specially designed template to mark the ballot paper independently. This template can be used by placing the ballot within it or by overlaying it on the ballot.
Another notable change in this year's election is voters' positioning while voting. In contrast to previous elections where voters faced the officials during the voting process, this year, voters are positioned with their backs to the officials.
143 international observers and 22 international monitors are involved in this year's election.
In the event that no candidate is able to secure an absolute majority today, voting will go to a second round. In this case, voting would be held on September 30.
