Budget for Second Round of Presidential Election Approved, Confirms ECM

The Election Commission of Maldives (ECM) has announced the approval of the budget for the upcoming second round of the presidential election, with funds allocated by the Ministry of Finance.

Around MVR 44 million has been earmarked for the ECM to facilitate the smooth execution of the second round of the presidential election. Notably, some of this budget allocation remained unutilised during the first round of the presidential election.

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Hassan Zakariyya, the Secretary General of ECM, confirmed to PSM News that the electoral body had initially submitted a supplementary budget request of around MVR 25 million. The additional funds were intended to cover expenses related to election administration and various public awareness programs.

However, following discussions with the Ministry of Finance, an agreement was reached, resulting in an approved budget of approximately MVR 18 million. This figure is around MVR 7 million less than ECM’s initial request, bringing the total budget for the second round of the presidential election to around MVR 41 million.

The second round of the presidential election is scheduled to take place on September 30, following the absence of any candidate securing 50% of the votes during the initial round. 

The two candidates who have advanced to the second round are Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, representing the opposition People’s National Congress (PNC), and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, representing the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).