MDP alleges a single ballot paper being used instead of three to make it easier to invalidate ballots

MDP's Decentralization Committee’s chairperson Ali Niyaz speaks at MDP press conference on August 5. 2025. (Photo/MDP)

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has expressed significant apprehension regarding the administrative procedures for the upcoming April 4 elections. Central to their concerns is the implementation of a single ballot paper for multiple contests, which the party argues increases the risk of total ballot invalidation if a voter makes a single error. The MDP has proposed that the Elections Commission (EC) modify its validation protocols to allow for partial ballot validity. Furthermore, the party highlighted a lack of public awareness regarding the concurrent referendum, suggesting that the EC is failing to adequately inform the electorate on the nature of the constitutional vote.

MDP officials met with the Elections Commission to address four primary concerns regarding the April 4 electoral process.
The party claims using a single ballot paper for local council and committee seats disproportionately risks invalidating votes due to minor errors.
Concerns were raised regarding the timeline for counting referendum ballots, with the MDP suggesting earlier counts to prevent potential tampering.
The MDP reported that voters in the atolls remain largely uninformed about the upcoming referendum, criticizing the EC's lack of outreach.
Former MDP leadership suggested that the Elections Commission is currently operating under significant political pressure from the government.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) accused authorities of deciding to use a single ballot paper instead of three in the April 4 elections in order to make it easier to invalidate ballots, as it shared its concerns regarding the upcoming elections and referendum with the Elections Commission (EC).

Maldivians are set to vote on April 4 on the Local Council Elections, the Women’s Development Committee Elections, as well as a public referendum on whether to hold future Presidential Elections and Parliamentary Elections concurrently.

The MDP had a meeting with the EC on Thursday to share its concerns regarding the upcoming votes.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, former Hulhumale’ MP Ali Niyaz said the party shared four main concerns regarding the upcoming elections, one of which is regarding the procedure for invalidating ballots.

Niyaz said that voters are being presented with one ballot paper to vote for a mayor, a council member and the seat designated for female candidates, meaning that one wrong mark on any of the sections will invalidate the whole ballot.

He said that the MDP proposed that the EC change its procedures so that drawings in one of the sections invalidates just that section, and not the whole ballot.

“They said they would consider all this,” said Niyaz.

Niyaz said that EC members told them that the commission is not legally mandated to raise awareness regarding referendums.

Voters cast their ballots in a polling station in Male' in the 2024 parliamentary elections on April 21, 2024. (Sun Photo/Moosa Nadheem)

He said that the party is deeply concerned about this, and worries about the lack of public awareness regarding such a crucial decision.

“We see the referendum being taken just like that,” said Niyaz.

Niyaz said that the MDP also proposed that the EC count ballots in the referendum first, as ballot counting in Local Council Elections usually lasts well into the night.

“We recommended that the first votes to be counted are for the referendum as we believe that there’s ill intentions behind scheduling the counting of the referendum to midnight, and see this as an attempt to steal the election,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mohamed Shifaz (Shippe), the former vice president of MDP, said that the meeting revealed EC members face serious challenges in carrying out their work due to government pressure.

“Now let’s see, we are keeping a close eye on them,” he said.

Abdulla Waheed, the spokesperson for MDP’s elections campaign, said that the party is working on raising awareness regarding the referendum during its campaign trips to the atolls.

He said that many of the people they met aren’t even aware that a referendum is being held on the same day as the elections.