Elections Commission (ECM) has decided to conduct another ballot in Gaadhiffushi, Thaa Atoll, and Maavah, Laamu Atoll.
At a press conference, President of ECM Shareef said the decision was made after they found that non-residents had voted for the candidates of these islands during the Local Council Elections (LCE) and Women’s Development Committee Elections (WDCE) held on April 10.
The ballot in Gaadhiffushi is between Mariyam Hassan from Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)and Hawwa Abdula Haadi from Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). Meanwhile, the ballot in Maavah is to be held to elect the president of the island council. Shareef said ECM will announce the date of the ballots soon, and only those who register will be allowed to vote.
ECM received 208 complaints regarding the elections held on April 10, most of which were about invalid votes. Acknowledging the high number of invalid votes, Shareef said the change in the ballot paper could have confused officials.