No ballot boxes for local council elections to be stationed in any foreign country
Due to an insufficient number of registered voters, ballot boxes will not be stationed in any foreign countries, certain resorts, or industrial zones for the upcoming election. A total of 1,356 members will be elected during this poll, in which 294,937 individuals are eligible to cast their votes.
A total of 26,454 individuals have re-registered to cast their ballots at locations other than their permanent places of residence. | Elections Commission | Elections Commission
The Elections Commission has announced that 26,454 individuals have re-registered to vote at locations other than their permanent residences by the deadline for the 2026 Local Council, Women's Development Committee, and National Referendum elections.
The local council and Women's Development Committee elections, along with the public referendum, are scheduled to take place on April 4. Re-registration for voters initially opened on the 10th of this month. Although the original deadline was set for the 15th, the period for re-registration has been extended until February 21 in light of the upcoming referendum.
A total of 26,454 individuals successfully re-registered during this period. This includes 1,326 voters registered to cast their ballots in prisons, 11 in industrial zones, 499 in Malaysia, and 189 in Sri Lanka. Additionally, 24,429 people re-registered to vote in various islands and the capital, Male'.
The Elections Commission has announced that ballot boxes will not be placed in 29 resorts for the upcoming election. Only 21 resorts saw a sufficient number of re-registrations to warrant the placement of a ballot box. Among industrial sites, ballot boxes will not be stationed in Hulhule', Thilafushi, or GDh. Kaadedhdhoo, as re-registration figures in these locations did not meet the required threshold. Furthermore, the Commission confirmed that no ballot boxes will be placed abroad, as no foreign country reached the minimum number of re-registrations necessary to facilitate overseas voting.
The election is scheduled to take place on Saturday, April 4, 2026, with polling stations open from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. In this election, members will be elected to a total of 225 council constituencies. This includes the election of 678 members to local councils and an additional 678 members to Women's Development Committees, bringing the total number of elected representatives to 1,356. A total of 294,937 individuals are eligible to vote in this year's election, comprising 144,527 women and 150,410 men.
