President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih pledged on Tuesday night to provide flats or land plots to all citizens who have either resided in Male' or been registered to the Male' special municipal registry for over 20 years.
The pledge comes after the government faced criticism for excluding non-native residents of Male' from the 'Binveriya' housing scheme carried out to provide land plots to native residents.
The president said housing was a problem on all islands but especially severe in Male', announcing a new scheme to resolve the housing crisis.
"There are difficulties facing Male' residents. 20 years, 30 years, 35 years - it's nearly 50 years that I've been living in Male' as well. It's difficult for those people to get plots from their own island. They don't get because they haven't lived on the island for a certain period," he said.
Such people do not have the opportunity to find housing in Male' either due to government policies, he added.
"We're deciding to start a new housing scheme. We will provide flats and plots through that housing scheme for people living in Male' and on the [municipal registry] for more than 20 years and everyone who can confirm that they have been living in Male' for more than 20 years," he said.
The president also criticized opposition candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's pledge to reduce rent for apartments in the Gaakoshi and Arabiyya complexes.
"Who determined that rent? It was Muizzu who did that as housing minister. They determined a price that was much higher than what was set during our previous government," he said.
The president also pledged to reduce the downpayment and rent for the Vinares flats and to provide housing for employees of the Maldives Customs, Maldives National University and Maldives Correctional Service.
