Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has stated arrangements have been made to place ballot boxes in India and Sri Lanka, for the upcoming Local Council Elections (LCE) and Women's Development Committee Elections (WDCE).
ECM revealed four ballot boxes are to be placed in Colombo, Sri Lanka and one box will be placed in Thiruvananthapuram, India for upcoming elections to be held on April 10. ECM had faced difficulties in obtaining proper permits to place ballot boxes in neighbouring countries and previously voiced concerns that officials were prevented from traveling abroad for training and preparation. However, ECM later revealed all issues have been resolved, noting the election is set to go ahead as scheduled in the two countries.
Although ballot boxes were kept in Malaysia and the United Kingdom in past elections, ECM was unable to obtain permission to place ballot boxes due to the restrictions imposed in those countries to curb the spread of COVID-19.