All candidates except Umar Naseer signed voter lists for the presidential election ahead of last night's deadline, the Elections Commission (EC) has said.
The deadline passed at 10 pm on Sunday night. Candidates were required to sign the lists to be kept with each of the 547 ballot boxes.
With the exception of Umar Naseer, the other candidates or their representatives have signed the lists, EC Vice President Ismail Habeeb tweeted. Apart from the candidates of the Maldives National Party (MNP) and The Democrats, the others also verified the authenticity of each of the lists, he added.
Habeeb said yesterday that candidates will not be allowed to sign the lists after the deadline as the EC would not extend it beyond Sunday night.
The requirement for candidates to sign voter lists was introduced in a guideline imposed by a Supreme Court judgment that annulled the presidential election held on September 7, 2013.
The candidates
Umar Naseer (independent)
Hassan Zameel (independent)
Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (Maldivian Democratic Party)
Dr. Mohamed Muizzu (People's National Congress)
Qasim Ibrahim (Jumhooree Party)
Ahmed Faris Maumoon (independent)
Ilyas Labeeb (The Democrats)
Mohamed Nazim (Maldives National Party)
Some 282,395 people are eligible to vote in the September 9 presidential election, including 27,006 first time voters.
The winning candidate must secure above 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate wins a majority in the first round, a run-off will be held between the first- and second-placed candidates.
The second round if required will take place on September 30.
