Voting in Hithadhoo by-election extended to 5:00 pm

Polling time in the North Hithadhoo parliamentary by-election has been extended by an additional hour.

Polls opened in the election at 08:00 am Saturday, and had been set to close at 04:00 pm.

However, Elections Commission (EC) has extended voting time to 05:00 pm.

The North Hithadhoo seat was previously filled by Mohamed Sinan (Sina), a politician from the ruling People's National Congress (PNC), who lost it on April 12, after losing a Supreme Court case filed over a declared debt.

The vacant seat is being contested by former Addu City councilman Ahmed Saeed (Soda) from the PNC and former Addu City mayor Abdulla Sodiq (Sobe) from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

Total 4,121 people are eligible to vote in the election, including 2,073 women and 2,048 men.

According to EC, 2,055 voters – 1,079 women and 976 men – cast their ballots by 03:00 pm.

This makes for a voter turnout of 49.87 percent.

2,066 people – 50.13 percent of eligible voters – have yet to cast their ballot.

The EC has installed seven ballot boxes for the vote; five at the Hithadhoo School in Addu City and two at the Dharumavantha School in Male’ City.

Sodiq secured the MDP ticket after running uncontested in the party’s primary, while Saeed had lost the PNC primary to Sinan, but got the ticket after the former lawmaker decided to bow out of the election.