Despite a pool of 282,395 eligible voters, only 75 percent turned up at the polling stations, marking a historic low in Maldivian electoral participation.
Arab News
On September 9th, 2023, the Maldives bore witness to the opening round of its Presidential race, as eight candidates vied for the nation's highest office. Against a backdrop of political turmoil stemming from the conviction of a former President on corruption charges and recent allegations surrounding the Gedhoruveriya and Binveriya housing scheme linked to the incumbent administration, the surprising development was the dismally low voter turnout.
The initial signs of a potential voter turnout crisis emerged when the Election Commission (EC) initiated a vote re-registration process to allow individuals located in a different area from their original registration to participate in the upcoming election.
Amidst the anticipation of a fiercely competitive election, the EC stunned observers by revealing that only 40,000 people required re-registration, a stark decline from the approximately 90,000 re-registrations witnessed in the prior Presidential Election. Even more concerning was the fact that only 42.5 percent of those eligible chose to re-register. While there was optimism that these numbers might change, with voters either re-registering at the last moment or returning to their initial place of registration to vote, the September 9, 2023 election outcome delivered a resounding message: the electorate's interest in the candidates had waned.
Despite a pool of 282,395 eligible voters, only 75 percent turned up at the polling stations, marking a historic low in Maldivian electoral participation. Even the inaugural multi-party Presidential election in 2008 achieved a significantly higher turnout of 86.5 percent, signalling that the public yearned for change. However, for the substantial number who abstained from voting, it was clear that none of the eight candidates in the 2023 Presidential race embodied the much-desired change.
With 570 ballot boxes distributed across the Maldives, the feeble voter turnout reverberated as a powerful statement. While those who abstained from casting their votes contended that they were echoing the long-held sentiment that the country needed change beyond the cyclical rotation of major parties every five years, many regarded this apathy as counterproductive. The low voter turnout factor contributed to the necessity for a second round of the Presidential race, as none of the candidates secured the required 51 percent of votes for an outright victory.
Though every citizen possesses the constitutional right to vote, even if it entails submitting an absentee ballot that won't be counted toward any specific party, many have opted to refrain from voting altogether. This has raised questions about the vitality of democratic engagement in the Maldives and underscores the urgency of addressing the electorate's disenchantment.
