On Saturday, September 9, 2023, the Presidential elections of the Republic of Maldives will be held.
According to the Constitution of the Republic of Maldives, the President is elected for a term of five years by direct, universal, and secret ballot. The President simultaneously serves as the head of state, head of government, and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The same person cannot hold the office of President for more than two terms, whether consecutive or otherwise.
In the elections, a candidate is considered elected if they receive a majority (more than 50%) of the valid votes. If no candidate receives an absolute majority, the election proceeds to a second round, which must be held between the two leading candidates no less than 21 days after the first round. The candidate who receives the majority of votes in the second round is elected President.
In these elections, there are eight candidates vying for the position. Five of them are nominated by political parties, and three are independent candidates. One of the candidates is the current President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, from the Maldivian Democratic Party.
This presidential election has the highest number of registered candidates since the first elections in 2008.
The Constitution and law of the Maldives grant the right to vote to citizens who are at least 18 years old on the day of voting. In these elections, 282,395 citizens are eligible to vote (the total population of the Maldives is 520,621), with over 21,000 voting for the first time. Approximately 56% of the voters are members of political parties, and there are 11 registered parties in the country.
The elections are organized and conducted by the Maldives Election Commission, which is a permanent body consisting of five members.
For the presidential election, 574 polling stations have been established. The largest number of these, 176, are concentrated in the Greater Malé area, 319 in the atolls, 65 at isolated resorts, 5 in prisons, and 1 at the international airport. Additionally, 8 overseas polling stations have been opened in countries where the number of Maldivian voters exceeds 150.
The Maldives Election Commission has prepared 4,969 polling station staff, including reserves.
Voting will take place on September 9 from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
In accordance with national legislation, mobile phones, video, photo, and audio recording devices, folders with papers, backpacks, and bags are not allowed in the polling stations.
For the observation and monitoring of the voting process, the Maldives Election Commission has accredited 3,027 national observers, 3,799 representatives of national media, and 1,490 representatives of candidates. Additionally, there will be 143 international observers and 22 representatives of foreign media.
At the invitation of the Maldives Election Commission and AAEA, the Deputy Chairman of the Central Election Commission of Uzbekistan, B. Kuchkarov, is participating as an international observer in the elections.
