Voting has begun for the referendum on changing the composition of the Addu City Council.

The voting is scheduled to take place from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM.

For this referendum on whether to change the composition of the Addu City Council, 9,721 ballot papers have been printed. This means 9,721 people are eligible to vote.

Breakdown of printed ballot papers:

  • Addu Atoll, Hulhudhoo: 2,922 ballots
  • Addu Atoll, Meedhoo: 2,380 ballots
  • Addu Atoll, Feydhoo: 4,419 ballots
  • Total: 9,721 ballots

Ballot boxes will be placed in Malé and three islands of Addu for this election. There will be three ballot boxes in Hulhudhoo, three in Meedhoo, five in Feydhoo, and seven in Malé for residents of these three islands living there. This totals 18 ballot boxes.

The President's Office announced on the 12th of this month that the questions for the public referendum on changing the composition of the Addu Council have been revised by a presidential decree.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu made this decision after removing the question about forming a single council for Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo, and issuing a new decree on the 12th of this month, based on the advice of the Cabinet.

The President's Office stated that according to this decree, questions have been submitted to seek public opinion on establishing separate councils for Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, and Feydhoo.

This referendum represents a significant potential change in the local governance structure of Addu City.