The Elections Commission has reported that 62,083 people had cast their ballots by 12:00 p.m. in today’s nationwide elections.

Statistics released by the Commission show that 294,876 people are eligible to vote in the elections, comprising 144,506 women and 150,370 men.

Voting began at 8:00 a.m., and turnout has reached 21.05 per cent so far, with 62,083 ballots cast. A total of 232,793 eligible voters have yet to vote, representing 78.85 per cent of the electorate.

Voters across the Maldives are participating in three concurrent processes: the Local Council elections, the Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections, and a public referendum seeking views on whether presidential and parliamentary elections should be held on the same day in the future.

The Elections Commission has printed a total of 888,845 ballot papers for the polls. This includes 297,959 ballots for the Local Council elections, 292,706 for the WDC elections, and 298,180 for the public referendum.

Polling is taking place from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Ballot boxes will be closed at 4:00 p.m., although those already in queues at that time will be allowed to vote.