President Mohamed Muizzu has conceded defeat in today's elections after preliminary results showed a significant lead for the opposition.
In a post on social media X, Muizzu wrote that he "respectfully accept" the results of the local council elections, Women's Development Committee (WDC) elections and referendum to merge the presidential and parliamentary elections.
"I assure all Maldivian citizens that, God willing, I will work in line with the people's pulse to bring the necessary improvements through the government."
According to the ballots counted so far, 73 percent are against the government's constitutional amendment to merge the presidential and parliamentary elections.
The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has also secured all five mayoral seats and is projected to win a large number of council and WDC seats.
