ECM Starts Closing Stations After Extended Voting Hours

The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has begun closing polling stations for today’s nationwide elections.

Voting was originally scheduled to start at 8:00 a.m., but delays meant some ballot boxes opened later. The commission confirmed that all polling stations commenced voting at 9:32 a.m.

Due to difficulties caused by long queues and extreme heat, the ECM extended voting hours until 5:00 p.m., an hour later than initially planned. The commission confirmed that voting hours will not be further extended. Vote counting is set to begin 30 minutes after polling stations close, in accordance with regulations.

As of 4:00 p.m., 185,709 voters, or 62.98 percent of eligible voters, had cast their ballots. This included 92,567 women and 93,142 men, while 109,167 people, or 37.02 percent, had not yet voted. A total of 294,876 people were eligible to vote, including 144,506 women and 150,370 men.

The ECM is overseeing the Local Council elections, Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections, and a public referendum. The referendum asks citizens whether they support the President ratifying the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution Bill, passed by parliament on 10 February 2026. The amendment proposes to align parliamentary elections with presidential elections and revise the method for calculating parliamentary terms.