The Election Commission (EC) has expressed concern over the low number of candidates who have applied to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections.
EC opened the opportunity for those interested in contesting the parliamentary elections on January 30. The opportunity is open until 2:00 pm on February 14.
EC's Vice-President Ismail Habeeb Saturday said that the commission has received only 18 applications so far.
"There are four days left to apply to contest the election. The EC will not extend the deadline to contest the election even if the date of the election is changed," Habeeb said.
Habeeb further warned that individuals waiting until the last minute to submit their forms risk not having the opportunity to rectify any errors or issues with their application.
Parliamentary elections are scheduled for March 17. While the date of the parliamentary elections coincides with the month of Ramadan, a parliamentary committee has passed an amendment to the General Elections Act to delay the election until after Ramadan.
