EC to use around 700 ballot boxes for Majlis elections

Elections Commission says it expects to use close to 700 ballot boxes in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

EC’s vice chairman Ismail Habeeb told Sun on Sunday that the commission expects to use around 500-700 ballot boxes.

He said the exact figure will be finalized once re-registration ends and the voter’s list is finalized.

“We cannot determine the figure until the re-registration process concludes,” he said.

Habeeb said the purpose of increasing the number of ballot boxes is to reduce the number of voters registered per box.

He added that the commission hopes to reduce the time voters have to wait in queue as the elections will be held in the month of Ramadan

Habeeb said that ballot boxes will be kept overseas if at least 150 voters re-register to those locations.

Meanwhile, ballot boxes will be kept in industrial islands and resorts if minimum 30 voters re-register to those location.

EC has announced that the parliamentary elections would be held on March 17 – which falls within the first week of Ramadan.

284,327 people are eligible to vote in the elections, including 145,162 men and 139,165 women.

It is an increase of 1,523 eligible voters from last year’s presidential elections.

The tentative voter’s list published by the EC is open for complaints until January 21.

Meanwhile, candidacy will be open from January 30 to February 14.