The Elections Commission published Monday night the final list of voters for the April 6 parliamentary elections.
The list was finalised after the EC invited complaints to identify errors. Some 264,442 people are eligible to vote, up from 262,135 for the presidential election on September 23.
Some 385 candidates are contesting for 87 seats in the 19th People’s Majlis.
As ballot papers have not been printed yet, the EC this week accepted requests from three candidates to withdraw their names.
They were Ali Ahmed, the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party’s candidate for the Mahibadhoo constituency; Zahid Rameez, a former council member of the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives who was contesting as an independent for the Central Hithadhoo constituency; and Mohamed Ilham, the newly-formed Labour Party’s candidate for the Gemanafushi constituency, withdrew his candidacy and endorsed Jumhooree Party candidate Hussain Solih.
The MDP candidate dropped out at the request of the party’s leadership. The party has since reached an agreement with the Adhaalath Party to back each other’s candidates in six constituencies.
On Monday, the EC announced it has decided not to set up polling stations in New Delhi, Singapore, Thailand and Bangladesh as fewer than 150 people registered to vote in the overseas locations.
But there will be polling stations in Colombo, Sri Lanka; Trivandrum, India; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Ballot boxes would not be placed on six resorts where fewer than 50 workers registered, the electoral body announced.
Due to long lines during September’s election, the EC also decided to increase the number of ballot boxes.
In the capital Malé, polling stations will be set up in 17 government buildings and schools with four ballot boxes each.
Voters can check their registered polling station by sending a text message with the national identity card number to 1414. (VR<space>Axxxxxx).
