Five percent voter turnout expected in Colombo for upcoming elections

Only 400 of the 8000 Maldivians living in Sri Lanka – five percent – have registered to vote in the local council elections, reports Haveeru, citing sources from the Maldives High Commission in Colombo.

Haveeru quoted a Maldivian businessman living in Sri Lanka as saying that despite email campaigns circulated by the parties to try and breach the apathy, “the main reason for Maldivians in Sri Lanka not being interested in registering themselves to vote is mainly due to lack of awareness or enthusiasm.”

Maldivians based in Sri Lanka were required to register to vote before January 5, a month ahead of the election which will see 2830 candidates competing for 1091 council seats.