The Local Government Authority (LGA) has introduced an online complaints submission system ahead of its board elections scheduled for Saturday, 31 October 2026, allowing participants to formally raise concerns relating to the electoral process.
According to the authority, complaints can be filed through a dedicated online form, with responses sent to the email addresses provided by complainants.
The complaints submission period will begin when voting opens and remain active until the announcement of provisional election results.
Two board positions to be decided
Under the Decentralisation Act, three representatives are elected to the LGA board, with one seat allocated to each of the city councils, island councils and Women’s Development Committees (WDCs).
Kulhudhuffushi City Mayor Mohamed Athif has already secured the city council representative position after standing uncontested.
Consequently, voting will take place to determine the representatives of island councils and WDCs.
More than 800 eligible voters
A total of 807 individuals are eligible to participate in the elections, comprising 625 councillors and 182 WDC presidents from 177 island councils and five city councils.
Voting is scheduled to take place between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., with 19 ballot boxes arranged across designated polling locations.
In Malé, voting will be held at the LGA premises, while government service centres will serve as polling stations throughout the atolls.
For Addu City, the designated polling location is the Hulhudhoo Social Centre, formerly known as Hulhudhoo School.
Separate ballots and vote-counting arrangements
The LGA has confirmed that separate colour-coded ballot papers will be used for the two contested positions to distinguish between the respective elections.
Vote counting is expected to begin within 30 minutes after the ballot boxes close at 4:00 p.m.
Provisional results are expected to be announced once the counting process has concluded.
The newly introduced complaints mechanism is intended to provide a formal channel for addressing election-related concerns during the voting and initial results process.
