Two senior officials from the Elections Commission of Maldives have successfully completed the JICA Knowledge Co-Creation Program on Electoral Management in Democratic Countries, held from June 11 to 28, 2025, in Tokyo, Japan.

Representing the Maldives were Ms. Shahula Ismail, Director of Electoral Management, and Ms. Fathimath Shaushan Moosa, from the Planning, Policy, and Research Section. The program, organized by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), brought together election officials from eight countries—Cambodia, Ethiopia, Guinea, Malawi, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Maldives—to exchange knowledge and strengthen institutional capacity in managing democratic elections.

 

 

The training program featured a comprehensive mix of lectures, field visits, interactive discussions, and group presentations, focusing on a wide range of electoral topics. These included:

• Electoral system design and legal frameworks
• Election campaign financing and political party regulations
• Voter registration and polling procedures
• Vote counting and result management
• Voter and civic education strategies
• Media engagement and gender equality in elections

A notable highlight was the opportunity to observe the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly Election held on June 22 in Setagaya City, providing participants with valuable practical insights into how elections are conducted in Japan from polling station setup to voter facilitation and transparency measures.