Male: Early voter turnout in the Maldives' controversy-ridden presidential polls was much lower than the annulled September 7 election, officials here said today amid fading hopes of conducting a run-off tomorrow.
Elections Commission (EC) President Fuwad Thowfeek said, “Last time, a large number of people queued in the beginning. But we have no way of knowing the numbers on queue this time around. From the broadcasts on TV channels, we know that the number is lower.”
Meanwhile, the EC has said that there was little hope of holding a run-off tomorrow as Jumhoory Party (JP) and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) were yet to endorse the voters' lists.
If no candidate gets over 50 per cent of votes in today'as balloting, a run-off will be required between the candidate who receives maximum number of votes and the runner-up.
Today's polls are Maldives' third attempt to elect a president in as many months.
