More than 3,400 people applied for council and women’s committee elections; 2,888 forms accepted

Over 3,400 people have applied to contest the upcoming local council and women’s development committee elections scheduled for April 4, according to the Election Commission.

Statistics released on Saturday show that 1,865 candidates applied for council seats, while 1,548 applied for positions in women’s development committees, bringing the total number of applications to 3,413.

Most candidates are contesting on behalf of political parties. For council seats, 1,366 candidates are from political parties and 499 are independents. For women’s committees, 1,216 candidates are party-affiliated and 332 are independents.

Of the council applications, 1,556 have been accepted, 1,197 from political parties and 359 from independent candidates. A total of 309 applications were initially rejected, but 286 have since been resubmitted.

For women’s committees, 1,332 applications have been accepted, 1,091 from political parties and 241 from independents. Of the 216 rejected applications, 192 have been resubmitted.

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— Elections Commission (@ElectionsMv) January 31, 2026

Some forms were rejected due to missing criminal and debt records, or incomplete documentation from the corrections department.

The deadline for submitting nominations is 15:30 hrs on Sunday, February 17. However, the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has requested a 10‑day extension, citing delays in clearing criminal records for its candidates.

In response, the Election Commission extended the submission window to 17:30 hrs daily from Thursday through Sunday.

According to the MDP, more than 50 of its members are still awaiting clearance of their criminal records from relevant agencies.