The Maldives held what may be its most consequential and logistically complex election day since the advent of multiparty democracy in 2008. Across the archipelago, 294,937 registered voters in 226 constituencies participated in three concurrent electoral events: the Local Council Elections, the Women’s Development Committee (WDC) Elections, and a Constitutional Referendum on the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution. From long queues in the morning heat to a last-minute extension of polling hours, the day was marked by high civic energy, minor disruptions, and a voter turnout that appears set to rival, and possibly surpass, the last cycle.
Polls Open, Queues Form
Voting began at 8:00 AM across the country’s 588 ballot boxes. Of the 588 boxes, 585 had begun voting by 9:13 AM, while the remaining few were delayed because the two public witnesses required to open polling had not yet arrived. By 9:33 AM, all polling centres were fully operational.
The morning saw a moderate start. By 10:00 AM, 41,000 voters, representing 14 percent of eligible voters, had cast their ballots. An hour later, the figure climbed to over 58,000, roughly 20 percent, comprising more than 25,000 women and more than 33,000 men.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu cast his vote at Thaajuddeen School early in the morning and urged all citizens to exercise their constitutional right to vote, saying: “Voting is a fundamental legal right of all citizens.” Former presidents Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Mohamed Nasheed, and Abdulla Yameen also voted during the morning hours, as did Vice President Hussain Mohamed Latheef and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed.
Midday Surge and Complaint Hotline Activity
By noon, 62,083 people had voted, 21 percent of the eligible electorate, including 33,245 men and 28,838 women. The pace was picking up.
The Elections Commission’s (EC) complaint line received a steady stream of calls throughout the day. By early afternoon, 30 complaints had been lodged. The most common grievances included voters seeking general information, asking whether a ballot placed in the wrong box would be invalidated, concerns about cramped polling spaces, dissatisfaction with how ballot box officers managed their stations, reports of campaigning in restricted zones, and complaints about extreme heat.
EC Deputy President Abdurrahman Solah told Mihaaru that no major issues had emerged and that voting was proceeding at all centres. Complaints about booth placement, where voters feared their choices might be visible, were addressed by rotating or angling the booths to restore secrecy.
One notable incident occurred in Gaafu Dhaalu Gadhdhoo. Voting was temporarily halted there after MDP members entered the polling centre demanding that the ballot box be repositioned, prompting PNC members to also enter. The commotion caused a temporary suspension of polling, which was subsequently resolved and voting resumed.
There were also minor complaints at Henveiru Ground in Malé, where voters in a tent-style polling station complained of excessive dust that made conditions uncomfortable.
Polling Hours Extended Due to Record Heat
The day’s most significant administrative development came in the afternoon. The EC extended polling by one hour — to 5:00 PM — citing the extreme heat across the country. Officials noted that the unusually high temperatures had made it difficult for many voters to come out during the hottest parts of the day. The national meteorological authority had already issued heat advisories for the day.
EC President Mohamed Zahid had earlier urged voters to join queues before 4:00 PM, when polling was originally scheduled to close. At the time, he confirmed that 44 percent of voters — 131,947 people, including 68,175 men and 63,175 women — had voted by 2:00 PM, and emphasized that despite long queues, there had been no plan to extend voting hours at that point. The decision to extend nonetheless came as queues remained long at 4:00 PM.
By 4:00 PM, 185,709 people had voted — 63 percent of all eligible voters. That figure breaks down as 93,142 men and 92,567 women. For context, the 2021 Local Council Election recorded a final turnout of 65 percent, meaning Saturday’s election appeared poised to match or exceed it.
Counting Begins
When queues finally closed at 5:00 PM, many people were still in line. EC Deputy President Solah confirmed that all queues in centres with no remaining voters had been closed on time, while those who were already queued before the cutoff were permitted to vote.
Vote counting began at some centres shortly after, with polling boxes being opened and officials beginning preparations to count ballots. The EC announced that Council election results would be declared first, followed by WDC results, and finally the results of the constitutional referendum.
What is at Stake
This election was not a routine local vote. It took place against the backdrop of major structural changes to decentralised governance. A recently passed amendment to the Decentralisation Act abolishes elected atoll councils effective May 27, 2026, transferring their supervisory responsibilities over island councils to the appointed Local Government Authority.
In total, 2,961 candidates contested across the Local Council and WDC elections. The ruling PNC fielded the most candidates at 1,322, followed by the opposition MDP with 905. MDA fielded 57, the Jumhooree Party 15, Adhaalath Party 9, and the Democrats 8. Another 645 candidates ran as independents.
For the first time, WDC presidents were directly elected by secret ballot and will serve in a full-time paid capacity — a significant step for women’s political participation.
The constitutional referendum, meanwhile, carried serious national implications. If approved, the Eighth Amendment would provide for simultaneous presidential and parliamentary elections in the future. Critically, it would also alter the current Majlis term, ending it on December 1, 2028 — roughly five months earlier than scheduled.
A Democracy Under Scrutiny
International observers were present throughout the day, monitoring proceedings across the country. ANFREL noted that the credibility of the process would depend not only on polling-day administration but on whether voters could make informed choices across three legally distinct ballots being administered simultaneously.
Despite the logistical hurdles — scorching heat, a handful of polling disruptions, ballot complexity, and a last-minute extension of hours — the overarching picture was of a nation turning out in significant numbers to exercise its democratic rights. With counting underway as evening fell, the Maldives awaited results that would shape both its local governance and, potentially, the very architecture of how it elects its national leaders in years to come.
