Result sheet for Ihavandhoo goes missing; ballot box to be re-opened

Officials have been asked to re-open Haa Alifu Ihavandhoo Atoll Council Election ballot box, which was placed in Thaajuddin School, after its result sheet went missing.

Following the election on Saturday, chief official at Ihavandhoo ballot box mistakenly put the result sheet in the envelope designated for ballot papers.

Elections Commission official Mohamed Shakeel said that the sealed envelope carrying ballot papers can only be re-opened in the presence of the candidates who contested in the election, or their representatives.

Shakeel said that Ihavandhoo ballot box will be re-opened in the presence of the candidates or their representatives at Elections Commission at 8:30 p.m. tonight.

“We couldn’t find the result sheet, so we contacted the chief official at the ballot box. He first said that the result sheet should be in envelope 5. But it wasn’t there. Then he said that it would be in envelope 6, which is the envelope carrying ballot papers. That envelope can only be opened in the presence of the candidates,” he explained.