The Elections Commission (EC) has opened the opportunity for individuals to serve as candidate representatives in the upcoming Local Council and Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections.

The Commission stated that for the elections scheduled to be held on 4 April 2026, each candidate will be permitted to appoint one representative to each voting centre to observe polling and counting procedures.

The primary responsibility of these representatives is to ensure that election activities at centres where their candidate has an interest are conducted transparently and in accordance with regulations.

To qualify as a representative, an individual must be a Maldivian citizen aged 18 or above, must not be serving a criminal sentence or be in detention pending trial, must not have been subject to disciplinary action for misconduct within the past five years, and must not have been convicted of an electoral offence.

Certain individuals are not eligible to serve as representatives in order to safeguard the independence and impartiality of the election process. These include judges, members and heads of independent institutions, officers of the Maldives Police Service and Maldives National Defence Force, individuals assigned election-related duties by the Commission, and candidates contesting for other positions in the same election.

The Commission stated that application forms for those wishing to serve as candidate representatives must be submitted through its main portal at my.elections.gov.mv. Access to submit forms will be provided to candidates once the final list of candidates is confirmed.

Applications will be accepted from 28 February 2026 until 1:00 p.m. on 7 March 2026.