Male’, Maldives —The President of Elections Commission, Ahmed Shareef has stated that all citizens can vote in the upcoming local council elections as long as they are included in the voter’s list regardless of how and where they came from or whether they have any specific permit.
EC Shareef stated that if the individual’s name is included in the list, then they can vote in the upcoming elections and that the officials will not check from where or how the person arrived to the place. Along with this, EC stated that the Commission will not check whether the individual has permission from the Health Protection Agency (HPA) either.
However, he has requested all the citizens to proceed with the upcoming council elections with precaution.
The statement from EC Shareef relates to people who have to travel from one island to another to vote in the elections. While HPA has informed EC that they will give citizens the permission to travel from island to another to vote, the citizens who wish to travel to another island must request the Covid-19 task force in that island the permission to travel and must travel under their guidance.
EC Shareef spoke regarding this and stated that the officials at the voting area will not check whether an individual has a permit and that as long as their name is on the list, they will be able to vote in the elections.
If the person who arrives to the voting place has their name present in the voter’s registry, they can vote. Elections Commission will not check how, where or whether they came with a permit.
Ahmed Shareef, President of Elections Commission
In this year’s elections, the people who are positive for Covid-19 will vote at the last after the general public’s queue is closed after 17:00hrs on the elections day. The duration given for Covid-19 positive to vote is from 17:00 till 18:00.
The Local Council Elections and Women’s Development Committee elections is scheduled to be held on April 10th of this year after much delay since the Covid-19 outbreak took place in the Maldives in March 2021.
