Voting Date for Parliamentary Elections to be Announced Next Month

The Election Commission of the Maldives (ECM) is preparing to unveil the voting date for next year’s parliamentary elections next month, with a strong likelihood that the election day could coincide with the holy month of Ramadan. 

As the current 19th Parliament’s term approaches its expiration on May 28 next year, preparations for the upcoming election are underway.

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One of the works underway in preparation for the elections is the finalisation of the report on the population distribution within the forthcoming parliamentary constituencies. ECM is currently compiling lists of eligible voters for these constituencies, and these lists will be made public in due course.

ECM Vice-President Ismail Habeeb stated that according to the law, parliamentary elections are mandated to be held in late March or early April next year. Consequently, the polling date is expected to align with the month of Ramadan. 

In retrospect, the 19th parliamentary elections, which took place on April 6, witnessed a total of 407 candidates submitting their nominations for the 87-member parliamentary elections. These candidates comprised 217 individuals representing nine different political parties and 190 independent candidates. 

However, 16 candidates withdrew their nominations before the election, while the candidacies of five individuals were rejected on various grounds.

Within the current 19th Parliament, there are 87 members, with 83 being male and only four being female. 

It is worth noting that the upcoming parliamentary elections will see the inclusion of six additional seats, expanding the total number of seats in the parliament to 93. 

These new seats encompass two constituencies in the two largest cities, Male City, and one in Addu City. Furthermore, one constituency each is being added to Male’ Atoll, B. Atoll, L. Atoll, as well as GA. Atoll.

The two largest political parties, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), have declared their intentions to contest all 93 seats in the upcoming parliament. The Democrats, led by President Nasheed, have also indicated their intent to participate in every seat, while independent candidates have already begun seeking public support for the impending elections.