The Elections Commission (EC) has given an additional two hours each day to submit nominations online for the April 4 local council elections.

This came after the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) requested a 10-day extension for submitting the nominations.

EC said nominations will be accepted from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm every day except Friday and from 3:30 pm to 8:00 pm on Friday until February 1.

At a press conference yesterday (January 28), MDP spokesperson for the council elections, Abdulla Waheed, said the party was seeking a 10-day extension.

He said candidates were facing delays from the Correctional Service and the Judicial Service in clearing their records.

So far, 2,591 candidates have submitted their nomination forms for the council elections and the Women's Development Committee (WDC) elections.

This year, candidates have to submit all documents and pay administrative fees through the EC's main portal.

The April 4 polls will elect members to local councils and WDCs from 225 constituencies. A total of 621 polling stations will be set up for the election.