The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidate Abdulla Sodiq (Sobe) has secured a landslide victory in today’s parliamentary by-election for the Hithadhoo North constituency.
Preliminary results from the ballot boxes counted so far confirm the win for Sodiq, who previously served three consecutive terms as the Mayor of Addu City.
Sodiq contested the seat against Ahmed Saeed (Soda), the candidate representing the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC).
With Sodiq’s victory, the opposition MDP’s representation in Parliament has increased from 12 to 13 MPs, while the PNC’s seat count has dropped from 75 to 74.
This marks the third consecutive electoral defeat for the ruling party. The government previously faced significant setbacks in last April’s local council elections as well as a public referendum.
In the local council elections, the MDP secured a majority in most councils, including the mayoral seats and council majorities in all five of the country's cities.
Furthermore, in a referendum held to determine whether presidential and parliamentary elections should be held on the same day, 75 percent of voters rejected the proposal. The government and President Mohamed Muizzu had strongly advocated to merge the two elections.
