The Elections Commission of the Maldives has reported that 185,709 people had cast their ballots by 4:00 p.m. in today’s nationwide elections.

Statistics released by the Commission show that turnout reached 62.98 per cent, with 185,709 votes cast out of 294,876 eligible voters. Of those who voted, 92,567 were women and 93,142 were men. A further 109,167 eligible voters had yet to vote, representing 37.02 per cent of the electorate.

A total of 588 ballot boxes have been deployed nationwide for the polls, with three boxes allocated per polling station for the Local Council elections, Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections, and the public referendum.

The Commission also announced that voting hours have been extended until 5:00 p.m., citing long queues and hot weather conditions.