The Elections Commission has reported that 131,947 people had cast their ballots by 2:00 p.m. in today’s nationwide elections.

Statistics released by the Commission show that turnout has reached 44.75 per cent, with 131,947 votes cast out of 294,876 eligible voters. Of those who have voted so far, 63,175 are women and 68,772 are men, while 162,929 eligible voters have yet to vote, representing 55.25 per cent of the electorate.

Speaking to MMTV, Elections Commission President Mohamed Zahid said voting is proceeding smoothly across the country, with only minor complaints reported so far. He noted that some complaints were related to long queues and heat at certain polling stations, but said no major issues have been received.

Zahid added that although there had been unrest reported in one island, it did not affect the validity of the vote. He assured that no incidents have occurred that could impact the overall conduct of the elections.

He further explained that as three elections are being held simultaneously, voters are issued separate ballot papers and guided on the respective ballot boxes for submission.

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 on whether presidential and parliamentary elections should be held on the same day.

Polling began at 8:00 a.m. and will continue until 4:00 p.m., with ballot boxes closing at that time. Zahid urged eligible voters to join the queue before closing time to ensure they are able to cast their ballots.