Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr. Shahabuddhin Yaqoob Quraishi has stated that it was very noteworthy how in the Maldives, prisoners were allowed to vote.
He said this in an interview with RaajjeMV, after polling stations began closing for the parliamentary elections 2024.
Maldivians poured out into polling stations across the nation for Sunday’s polls.
Speaking to RaajjeMV, Dr. Shahabuddhin stated that this is not done in India and noted that this is an interesting thing India should learn from Maldives.
Highlighting that they had visited the prison as part of the observation process for the elections, Dr. Shahabuddhin noted that all prisoners voted by 10am and only officials were left.
He added that it was very noticeable that prisoners were allowed to vote and that this was not done in India. He added that this is their basic right, which should not be denied.
Highlighting that they went to many polling stations across Male' City , Dr. Shahabuddhin stated that it was extremely peaceful, orderly and civilized, and that the staff were polite and voters were also very well-behaved.
He said that it was very satisfying to see and that it was a very peaceful election.
Dr. Shahabuddhin added that it was noteworthy how staff was helpful to those in need, visually impaired persons and voters who were physically challenged, stating that they were assisted properly.
Highlighting that polling started on the dot, Dr. Shahabuddhin stated that there was nothing of concern at all and that he had compared notes with his colleagues, all of whom had the same feedback.
He added that the process was “all smooth”, there was no problem at all and that there were no complaints reported, adding that they were a team of 19 observers from nine countries divided into four teams.
Dr. Shahabuddhin stated that they had exchanged notes during lunch time, upon which they learned that all of their observances were very similar. As such, he stated that everything went smoothly without disturbance or problems.
We asked observers if there were any problems or complaints. They all said no. It was very fine, very well done. We could see for ourselves; the staff was very efficient and helpful. There were no long queues and the voting process went very quickly”.Former Chief Election Commissioner of India, Dr. Shahabuddhin Yaqoob Quraishi
When inquired about the voter turnout, the Former Chief Election Commissioner of India stated that due to the heat of the afternoon sun, the voter turnout was noticeably less. However, he stated that the percentage would have gone up substantially in the last 90 minutes, for which the figures will be provided by EC.
According to the statistics provided by the Elections Commission, 207,693 voted by 5pm, including 102,867 women and 104,826 men.
This means 72.96 percent of the eligible voters, came out to vote.
Only 76,970 voters did not cast their ballots by 5pm, making up 27.04 percent of the eligible voters.
