Veyvah Council Result Unchanged After Recount, ECM Says

The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has stated that the outcome of the Meemu Atoll Veyvah Council election remains unchanged following a recount, although the total vote counts have been revised.

The Commission conducted the recount at its centre last night after reviewing a complaint submitted to its Compliance Bureau.

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Two candidates contested the Veyvah Council seat in the local council elections held on 4 April: Mohamed Nazeeh of the People’s National Congress (PNC) and Ahshan Naeem of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). According to the provisional results, Ahshan Naeem received 122 votes, while Mohamed Nazeeh secured 120 votes.

The ECM said the ballot box for Veyvah was recounted following a case concerning invalid votes, which alleged uncertainty in the result. After the recount, each candidate’s tally decreased by one vote. Despite the change in figures, the overall outcome remained the same. In the specific ballot box reviewed, the PNC candidate received 83 votes, while the MDP candidate received 76 votes.

Votes were invalidated due to markings or drawings on ballot papers in addition to the required checkmark, as well as instances where no choice was marked.

The Commission stated that 256 voters were eligible to vote in the Veyvah Council election, with 247 ballots cast. The current provisional results show that seven votes were invalid.

More than 290,000 people voted in the election nationwide. The ECM noted that while provisional results have been announced for most ballot boxes, only those requiring recounts due to complaints remain pending.

The Commission said it plans to announce the final results, including outcomes from these boxes, at a press conference scheduled to be held today.