People who were registered to vote in Male' for the last local council elections will remain registered for the upcoming presidential election, the Elections Commission (EC) has said.
Voters were previously registered to their native islands in the list of eligible voters for the September 9 presidential election. Re-registration was required to vote on a different island.
But after changing the rules, the EC said in a tweet that those who registered to vote in Male' for the last local council elections would be automatically registered to vote in Male' for the presidential election.
Aside from those registered to vote in Male', other voters will be on the registry of their native islands, the EC said.
People who voted in Male' in the council elections would not have to re-register if they wish to vote in Male' this year as well. However, they would not have to re-register if they wish to vote elsewhere.
The commission is due to open re-registration on July 16 for a 21-day period until August 5.
The Elections Commission made the change at the request of political parties who asked for a remedy as re-registration efforts were harder when voters were automatically registered to their native islands.
Political party representatives noted at the EC's national advisory committee that many people from across the country reside in Male', most of whom have always voted in the capital.
The EC previously registered voters to their native islands for every presidential election, allowed re-registration and announced the revised registry for the parliamentary elections. The registration for the parliamentary elections is kept for the local council elections.
A total of 600 ballot boxes are to be placed nationwide this year, including all inhabited islands, resorts and industrial islands. More than 280,000 people are eligible to vote in the presidential election, according to the EC.
