The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has announced that 73 per cent of eligible voters took part in elections held across the country on Saturday.
Three separate polls were conducted, including the Local Council Elections, the Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections, and a national referendum seeking public opinion on whether Presidential and Parliamentary elections should be held on the same day.
According to the Commission, 214,898 out of 253,714 eligible voters cast their ballots, representing a turnout of 73 per cent. It noted that this marks the highest level of participation recorded in previous local council elections.
Provisional results indicate that the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) secured a significant victory, winning the majority of council seats, council presidency positions, and WDC seats and presidencies across various islands. Meanwhile, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) won mayoral positions and secured the majority of seats in city councils.
In the national referendum, a majority of voters rejected the proposal to hold Presidential and Parliamentary elections concurrently.