The Elections Commission of Maldives (ECM) has opened nominations for the upcoming local council and women’s development committee (WDC) elections, scheduled to be held on Saturday, 4 April.

According to the Commission, polling will take place from 08:00 hrs to 16:00 hrs on election day.

Nominations for both elections opened today and will close on 1 February at 15:30 hrs.

The ECM stated that nomination forms may be submitted only during official working hours.

Applications will be accepted from 08:30 hrs to 15:30 hrs on all days except Sundays, while on Sundays submissions will be received between 15:30 hrs and 18:00 hrs.

In a departure from previous elections, the Commission announced that all nominations must be submitted online.

Candidates contesting the local council and WDC elections are required to upload relevant documents and pay administrative fees through the ECM’s official portal, my.elections.gov.mv.

Decisions on applications and all related notices will also be issued through the same platform.

The Commission noted that elections will be conducted across 225 council constituencies.

A total of 678 members will be elected to local councils and an equal number to women’s development committees, bringing the total number of elected representatives to 1,356.

Based on the voters’ list released by the ECM, 294,937 individuals are eligible to vote in the council elections. This includes 144,527 women and 150,410 men.

To facilitate voting, 321 polling stations will be established across the atolls. An additional 240 polling stations will be set up in Malé, Hulhumalé and Villingili to serve voters from Kulhudhuffushi, Fuvahmulah City, Thinadhoo City and Addu City.

The Commission also confirmed that three polling stations will be established in industrial islands, five in prisons, and 50 in resorts.

Additionally, two overseas ballot boxes will be placed for the council elections one in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and another in Colombo, Sri Lanka.

Emphasising increased digitalisation, the ECM said the April 4 elections will be conducted with a strong focus on electronic administrative processes, particularly in relation to candidate nominations.

According to the Commission’s permanent constituency determination report, 626 councillors will be elected to island councils, while 52 councillors will be elected to city councils.

Among the 133 island councils, some will elect three councillors, including a council president and one female member, while 46 island councils will elect five councillors, comprising a council president and two female councillors.

The number of members elected to women’s development committees will correspond with the number elected to island and city councils.