The Elections Commission (EC) has announced that the dispatch of ballot boxes for the Hithadhoo North constituency by-election will commence this coming Wednesday. The election, which aims to fill the vacant parliamentary seat, is scheduled to take place on June 6.

According to the commission, a total of 4,121 eligible voters are registered for this by-election. To accommodate the voters, seven ballot boxes will be established across two locations. Five boxes will be placed at Hithadhoo School in Addu City, while two boxes will be set up at the southern building of Dharumavantha School in Malé for constituency residents living in the capital.

Voting is scheduled to be held from 08:00 to 16:00 on the day of the election. The contest features two candidates: Ahmed Saeed, representing the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), and Abdulla Sodiq, representing the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

The Hithadhoo North seat became vacant after the Supreme Court ruled that the previously elected member, Mohamed Sinan, did not meet parliamentary eligibility requirements. The ruling was based on Sinan’s failure to settle a proven debt in accordance with a court judgment.