Nominations Open for Maldives Local Council and Women’s Development Committee Elections

The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has announced that nominations for the upcoming local council and women’s development committee elections are now open. The elections are scheduled to take place on Saturday, 4 April, from 08:00hrs to 16:00hrs. Nominations will close on 1 February at 15:30hrs. For the first time, all nomination forms must be submitted online through the Commission’s portal, my.elections.gov.mv. Candidates are required to upload necessary documents and pay administrative fees electronically. The Commission will also issue decisions and notices through the same platform. A total of 678 members will be elected to local councils, with an additional 678 members elected to women’s development committees, bringing the total to 1,356 elected members. The elections will cover 225 council constituencies, with 294,937 eligible voters registered. Polling stations will be set up across the atolls, including Malé, Hulhumalé, and Villingili, as well as in industrial islands, prisons, and resorts. Overseas ballot boxes will also be established in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Colombo, Sri Lanka. The Commission emphasized that the elections will be highly digitized, streamlining administrative processes and ensuring efficiency. According to the permanent constituency determination report, 626 councillors will be elected to island councils, while 52 will be elected to city councils.