The government has declared tomorrow and Monday as public holidays following today’s nationwide elections, according to a statement from the President’s Office.
The decision was made after a request from the Elections Commission (EC), which noted that a significant number of civil servants and government institutions were engaged in election-related duties throughout the day.
Officials said Monday has been designated a holiday to allow election staff sufficient time to complete post-election processes, including counting, documentation, and administrative follow-up.
Triple Elections Held Nationwide
Today’s voting involved three key electoral processes conducted simultaneously:
- Local Council Elections
- Women’s Development Committee (WDC) Elections
- A national referendum on proposed constitutional changes
The referendum sought public opinion on whether to support ratification of the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution, which proposes aligning Presidential and Parliamentary elections and revising the calculation of parliamentary terms.
Extended Voting and Turnout
Polling, which was initially scheduled to end at 4:00 p.m., was extended to 5:00 p.m. due to long queues and high temperatures reported across the country.
A total of 294,876 voters were eligible to participate, including 144,506 women and 150,370 men.
According to the EC, ballot boxes began closing after the extended deadline, with 518 out of 588 polling stations confirmed closed by 6:28 p.m.
Counting Underway
In line with election regulations, vote counting is set to begin 30 minutes after the closure of each polling station, with officials working to process ballots across all regions.
Authorities said no further extensions to voting hours would be granted, as the election process transitions into the counting phase.
The additional holidays are expected to support the smooth completion of election-related work and ensure adequate time for administrative procedures following one of the country’s largest election days.
