ECM to Hold Second Round of Voting on 18 April
From the nationwide elections held on April 4, 2026 | Photo” MV+
The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) announced today that constituencies requiring a second round of voting will go to the polls next Saturday, 18 April, as preparations are currently ongoing to conduct the additional elections.
Last Saturday, the ECM held nationwide elections covering three key areas: the local council elections, the Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections, and a public referendum. The referendum sought citizens’ opinions on ratifying the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which would align parliamentary terms to allow for concurrent presidential and parliamentary elections.
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While final results are due to be announced later today, the ECM said the number of constituencies requiring a second round will also be confirmed at that time.
ECM President Mohamed Zahid stated that 294,876 Maldivians were eligible to vote, of whom 215,346 cast ballots.
“This is the highest voter turnout for a local council election and a WDC election so far,” he said, regarding the 73 percent turnout.
He also said the National Complaints Bureau received 170 complaints related to the election and is processing them in accordance with the law. Zahid added that any citizen dissatisfied with the Commission’s response to a complaint has the legal right to submit the matter to the High Court within 14 days.
According to the ECM, 1,624 local observers and 38 international observers monitored the election, alongside 4,021 candidate representatives and more than 3,000 monitors across polling stations.
