Elections Commission has said that all political party candidates competing in the 18 January Local Council Election, except candidates of the ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), have endorsed the list of eligible voters.
Secretary General of the Elections Commission Asim Abdul Sattar said: “Candidates of all parties except PPM signed the lists by the end of the signing deadline last night. From 543 independent candidates, 113 have signed all lists.”
President of the Elections Commission Fuad Thaufeeq told Sun yesterday that the commission will not allow extra time for the candidates to sign the list.
He also said that the commission has written to the Attorney General seeking a way to avoid the candidates being required to endorse the voters' list, but said they have not received an opinion from the Attorney General.
A total of 2463 candidates will compete for 1100 seats in the Local Council Election to be held on Saturday. This includes 2147 candidates for 951 island council seats, 275 candidates for 132 atoll council seats and 41 candidates for 17 city council seats.