Fuwad discharged from hospital, EC prepares for November 10 second round

The Elections Commission (EC) President Fuwad Thowfeek has been discharged from ADK hospital after being admitted with chest pains last night.

Fuwad told Minivan News via a text message that he is currently resting at home, but will return to work this evening.

Meanwhile, the EC is preparing for a second round of elections for November 10 – a day after the first round of polls on November 9 and a day before the current presidential term ends on November 11.

A second round is to be held only if no candidate wins over 50 percent in the first round. The November 9 election marks the EC’s third attempt to hold presidential polls after the Supreme Court annulled the September 7 first round and the police obstructed a second attempt to hold a vote on October 19.

The announcement comes following extensive international pressure when the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) and Jumhooree Party (JP) on Tuesday threatened not to sign the voter registry – a move that could disrupt elections.

The PPM, JP and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential candidates met with President Dr Mohamed Waheed Hassan yesterday and agreed to sign the voter registry and requested a second round if necessary on November 10 to ensure a president elect is determined by the end of the current presidential term on November 11.

The EC issued a statement last night confirming preparations for a second round on November 9. A three hour window for reregistration was given this morning from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm.

MDP’s representative to the EC advisory council Ahmed ‘Saabe’ Shahid said the EC will print a second set of ballot papers will the names of all three candidates for the second round, but the losing candidate’s name will be crossed out at the time of polling.

Official results of the first round are to be announced by 11:30 pm on November 9, Saabe said, adding that November 10 will be declared a public holiday.

Meanwhile, the MDP has now finished signing voter lists at the EC. The PPM and JP will complete signing lists by 3:00 pm today, EC Secretary General Asim Abdul Sattar told Minivan News.

The EC had planned to dispatch voter registry, ballot papers and boxes to the islands this morning, but have been delayed “because the JP is being very slow in signing the lists,” Asim said.

“Although we were able to get the lists to be sent abroad signed and sent abroad, the lists to be sent to the islands are still pending. We had scheduled to send some lists out at 9am and 11 am, but could not as the JP has not finished signing the lists,” Asim added.

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