Majlis polls 2024: 608 ballot boxes in total, six to be sent abroad
319 ballot boxes will be set up across atolls and 240 polling stations will be set up across the Greater Malé Region
A polling station during the recent by-election held to elect a mayor of the capital city
A total of 608 ballot boxes will be placed in total, for the fast-approaching parliamentary polls.
The Elections Commission (EC) revealed that ballot boxes will be stationed across six countries abroad as well.
One ballot box will be placed in each of these countries.
37 ballot boxes will be sent out to resorts and five will be set up at prison facilities according to EC. As such, two ballot boxes will be placed at Maafushi Prison and one each at Asseyri Prison, Hulhumalé Jail and Dhoonidhoo Prison.
The commission went on to reveal that one polling station will be set up at Hulhulé as an industrial zone.
319 ballot boxes will be sent out to outlying atolls for the parliamentary polls and 240 will be stationed across the Greater Malé Region including 181 in the capital Malé City, 50 in Hulhumalé and nine in Villimalé.
108 out of the 181 vote boxes to be placed across Malé City are for atoll residents to cast their ballots. The remaining 73 ballot boxes will be for residents of Malé.
Further, 32 ballot boxes will be placed in Hulhumalé Phase I out of which 18 are for Malé residents and 14 are for residents of outlying atolls.
18 ballot boxes will be placed in Hulhumalé Phase II out of which six are for Malé residents and 12 are for residents of outlying atolls living in the suburban extension of the capital.
In addition to this, nine ballot boxes will be placed in Villimalé out of which five are for Malé residents and four are for residents of outlying atolls living in the suburban extension of the capital.
According to the commission, once the ongoing re-registration process is over, there may be changes to the number of polling booths to be set up for the elections.
The deadline for re-registration is set at February 7.
The day of the upcoming parliamentary elections will be a government holiday.
284,327 are eligible to cast their votes in the parliamentary polls including 139,165 women and 145,162 men.
Those who wish to contest would be allowed to submit applications from January 31 to February 14.
EC on January 30 opened candidacy for the polls.
According to the People’s Majlis, the new parliament which begins in 2024 will have 93 seats. These include two constituencies added to Malé City. From 2024, the capital city will have a total of 17 seats.
One seat each has been added to Baa atoll, Kaafu atoll, Gaaf Alif Atoll and Seenu Atoll as well.
The six seats added for 2024 are Central Hulhumalé constituency, North Hulhumalé constituency, Hithaadhoo constituency (Baa atoll) Hithaadhoo, Maalhos and Dharavandhoo, Huraa constituency (Kaafu atoll) Huraa, Himmafushi and Gulhi, Kolamaafushi constituency (Gaaf Alif atoll) Kolamaafushi and Dhevvadhoo and North Feydhoo constituency (Seenu atoll) Feydhoo and Maradhoo-Feydhoo.
The Elections Commission of Maldives has announced that Eydhafushi, Villingili and Meedhoo constituencies will have only the one island belonging to the constituency, with these changes. The report also notes that the names of some constituencies have been changed.
As such, Hulhumalé constituency will be known as South Hulhumalé constituency, Guraidhoo constituency will be known as Maafushi constituency, Thaa. Guraidhoo constituency will be known as Guraidhoo constituency and Feydhoo constituency will be known as South Feydhoo constituency.
The elections for the ongoing 19th tenure of Parliament were held on 6 April 2019.
