Voting Has Begun for the Parliamentary Elections 2024

Polls are now open in the Maldives for the 2024 parliamentary elections, marking a significant moment in the nation’s political trajectory. 

Voting commenced at 8:00 am today and will continue until 5:30 pm. According to the Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM), voting has begun in every ballot box across the country. 

By sending an SMS to 1414 with the message “VR (space) ID CARD Number)”, individuals can confirm the location of their designated polling centre. This initiative aims to streamline the voting process and ensure that all eligible voters can easily participate in the electoral process.

The electorate will be selecting representatives for 93 seats in the Parliament from a pool of 368 candidates. 

The candidates hail from various political factions, with the People’s National Congress (PNC) and the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) fielding the highest number of contenders at 90 and 89, respectively. 

Other parties in the fray include the Democrats with 39 candidates, Jumhoory Party (JP) with 10, Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) and Adhaalath Party (AP) with four each, and Maldives National Party (MNP) with two candidates. Additionally, there are 130 independent candidates vying for seats.

A total of 284,663 eligible voters are expected to participate in this year’s elections, with voting facilitated through 602 ballot boxes both domestically and abroad.