The Elections Commission of Maldives has announced that individuals may now apply to serve as candidate representatives in the upcoming Local Council and Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections.
The polls are scheduled for 4 April 2026, and under electoral regulations, each candidate will be allowed to appoint one representative to every voting centre where they are contesting. These representatives will observe both polling and vote-counting procedures.
According to the Commission, the primary role of candidate representatives is to monitor activities at designated centres and ensure that election procedures are conducted transparently and in accordance with established rules.
The move is seen as part of broader efforts to uphold public confidence in the electoral process, particularly at the local governance level where community engagement is often highest.
To qualify, applicants must be Maldivian citizens aged 18 or above. They must not be serving a criminal sentence or be in detention pending trial. Additionally, individuals who have faced disciplinary action for misconduct within the past five years or have been convicted of an electoral offence are not eligible.
The Commission also outlined a list of positions barred from serving as representatives to maintain impartiality. Judges, heads and members of independent institutions, officers of the Maldives Police Service, personnel of the Maldives National Defence Force, individuals assigned official election duties, and candidates running for other posts in the same election are among those excluded.
Applications must be submitted through the Commission’s online portal at my.elections.gov.mv. Access to the submission system will be provided to candidates once the final list of contestants is officially confirmed.
The application window opens on 28 February 2026 and will close at 1:00 p.m. on 7 March 2026.
With preparations for the April elections now underway, the Commission has urged interested individuals and candidates to complete the process within the stipulated timeframe to ensure smooth coordination at polling centres nationwide.
