551 complaints submitted for voters’ registry

Elections Commission (EC), on Friday, revealed they received 551 complaints for the registry of eligible voters for the upcoming presidential elections.

This was the preliminary registry.

EC’s Vice President Ismail Habeeb, in a tweet, noting the deadline for complaint submission was up, said the commission will be responding to the complaints in the upcoming five days. Habeeb said the complainant has the right to appeal EC’s decisions regarding the complaint with the High Court if they are discontent.

He noted that the permanent registry will be publicized next month following which they will begin accepting complaints for a stipulated amount of time. Habeeb said if the complainant does not file the complaint within the stipulated timeframe, they will not have the opportunity to file the complaint later.

“Anyone whose name is not on the permanent registry will not be able to vote in the presidential elections slated for September 9^th,” he stressed.

Habeeb also noted that reregistration for voting at a location outside of their registered island will open on July 16^th, with a deadline set for August 5^th.

The greatest number of complaints that were submitted to the preliminary registry pertains to the number of deceased people being included in the registry at 465 complaints in total.

The remaining complaints pertain to 58 complaints regarding a change of residence, 19 complaints over the absence of name on the registry, three complaints regarding change of constituency, five complaints regarding change of name and one complaint over changes to National Identity Card.

Preparations are underway for the presidential elections slated for September 9^th.