The Elections Commission has announced that ballot boxes for the upcoming local council and women’s development committee elections will be placed abroad only in Sri Lanka and Malaysia due to low voter registration in other countries.

The local council elections are scheduled for 4 April 2026. A total of 621 ballot boxes will be set up across the Maldives and selected locations abroad. Of these, 321 ballot boxes will be placed in Male’, Hulhumale’ and Villimale’ to serve voters from Male’ City, Kulhudhuffushi City, Fuvahmulah City, Thinadhoo City and Addu City.

Additional ballot boxes will be placed at industrial sites, prisons and resorts, while two ballot boxes will be set up overseas. The commission stated that Sri Lanka and Malaysia are the only countries that met the required criteria for overseas voting, as Maldivians in other countries did not register in sufficient numbers.

According to the commission’s guidelines, at least 2,000 voters must register in a country for a ballot box to be placed there, along with a minimum number of voters from each constituency. Cost considerations and the need to protect ballot secrecy were also factors in the decision.

A total of 294,937 voters are eligible to participate in the elections, including 144,527 women and 150,410 men. The elections will determine 626 councillors for island councils and 52 councillors for city councils, with varying numbers of councillors to be elected in each city and island based on population and administrative status.