More than 9,500 residents of Addu City are eligible to cast their votes next Saturday in a landmark referendum determining the composition of the Addu City Council.
The Election Commission of Maldives (ECM) has finalised and made public the official register of registered ballot boxes following a voter re-registration process, confirming a total of 9,576 eligible voters. Opportunities for submitting complaints regarding the registered ballot boxes are currently open.
The upcoming poll, initiated by a Presidential decree , will pose a separate question for three respective provincial wards of Addu, allowing residents to decide on the establishment of individual councils for their respective communities. Voter distribution across the three areas indicates 4,355 eligible voters in Feydhoo, 2,347 in Meedhoo, and 2,874 in Hulhudhoo.
Ballot boxes for the poll will be placed in Feydhoo, Meedhoo, Hulhudhoo, and Malé. The ECM noted that 255 individuals completed re-registration last week.
Voters will generally be registered at the same location where they cast their ballots in last year's parliamentary elections. However, specific provisions apply for those who did not re-register with individuals registered for Hulhumalé and Villimalé remaining at polling stations in Malé, while those registered to vote in other islands will be automatically transferred to their permanent address unless they re-registered.
The inaugural vote under the newly enacted General Referendum Act will seek the views of residents in Addu's Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, and Feydhoo wards regarding a proposed change in the composition of the Addu City Council.