Saturday
2nd May 2026
Dhivehi Edition
The High Court of the Maldives has declined to proceed with an electoral complaint filed by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) seeking a recount of ballot boxes in the Central Hulhumalé constituency following the April 4 Local Council elections.
The Central Hulhumalé council seat was won by People’s National Congress (PNC) candidate Ahmed Sameeh Haneef with 916 votes, while MDP candidate Safaath Ahmed Zahir received 905 votes.
In its submission, the MDP alleged that a ballot which should have been classified as invalid was counted as a valid vote, arguing that a recount could potentially alter the outcome.
However, the High Court Registrar ruled that the case could not be accepted, stating that the MDP had not sufficiently established grounds to conclude that the decision of the Elections Commission of Maldives to reject a recount request was flawed.
The MDP had also submitted additional complaints seeking recounts in other constituencies, but the court declined to proceed with those cases as well.