Maldivians eagerly stood in line to vote at 574 polling stations across 566 islands in the country’s fourth presidential elections since the country's turn to a democratic path in 2008.
Commonwealth observers who were deployed at polling stations across the different islands have indicated that voting took place in a peaceful and orderly way.
The Chair of the Commonwealth Observer Group, former President of the Republic of Seychelles, HE Danny Faure, has been observing the proceedings in several polling stations around the capital, Malé, including on the island of Himmafushi.
He said:
“At one polling station after another, what our observers have seen are everyday Maldivians: men and women, young and old, and people with disabilities, exercising their right to vote with patience and civility.
"What we can see is that Maldivians recognise the power that their vote gives them to express their will in a democratic process and they are keenly exercising this right. We have seen the people’s commitment to the process in the way they turn out to vote and follow the rules laid out by the Elections Commission of Maldives to ensure an orderly process”.
“As fellow Commonwealth citizens who deeply value the democratic process, our group is honoured to have observed the opening of the polls and the voting. We will continue our work here by paying close attention to the counting and results process and will issue an interim statement reflecting our overall observations at the end of the process,” the Chair added.
This is the first time that the Commonwealth is observing a Maldivian election since the country rejoined the Commonwealth in 2020. Eight contenders stood for the presidency of the country in this year’s election.
Media contact
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