The Elections Commission (EC) has revealed that its budget is insufficient to hold the local council elections according to the Health Protection Agency’s (HPA) guidelines, stating that an additional MVR 51 million is necessary to do so.
EC member Ismail Habeeb made this remark in the National Advisory Committee, in which relevant authorities discussed the points mentioned in the draft of HPA’s policy on holding elections amid the prevalent COVID-19 pandemic.
According to EC, the added expenses are needed to cover the cost of the 10-day quarantine which every trainer from the commission is required to undergo, along with the PCR test they must take before departure.
Adding that the same procedure is not necessary for representatives of state authorities and companies, Habeeb asserted that impartiality must be maintained in policymaking.
Furthermore, highlighting that Maldives has now received a COVID-19 vaccine shipment from India, he requested that the state administer vaccines to those involved in overseeing the election.
