Voting and Counting Will Not be Digitized in Any Election, ECM Says

The President of the Election Commission of Maldives (ECM), Mohamed Zahid, has said that voting and vote counting will not be digitised in any election, reaffirming the commission’s commitment to a fully manual electoral process to safeguard transparency, credibility and public confidence.

Speaking on Public Service Media, Zahid said that while administrative aspects of the upcoming local council elections would be digitised, the core electoral processes would remain unchanged.

advertisement

“The voting, the counting of votes, the results of the votes and everything that comes with the results will not be digitised,” Zahid said. “These will be carried out physically, as we have done in the past.”

He added that this principle would be maintained in all future elections.

Zahid noted that some polling stations in the upcoming council elections would handle ballot papers for as many as 70 constituencies. As a result, the ECM is placing high priority on training election staff to ensure the smooth conduct of the polls.

According to the commission, around 7,000 officials will be deployed across the country during the elections.

While voting and counting will remain manual, the ECM has introduced digital systems for certain administrative procedures. The submission of candidacy forms will be conducted online through a dedicated portal, replacing the previous requirement for candidates to submit forms in person.

The local council elections are scheduled to be held on 4 April.

Meanwhile, the government has announced plans to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on the same day. Parliament is currently working on legislation to enable this change. However, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has previously stated that any such change would only be implemented following approval through a referendum.be held on 4 April.

Meanwhile, the government has announced plans to hold presidential and parliamentary elections on the same day. Parliament is currently working on legislation to enable this change. However, President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has previously stated that any such change would only be implemented following approval through a referendum.