Male: In a setback to Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu, the pro-India opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has secured a landslide victory in the capital Male’s Mayoral election.
The MDP candidate, Adam Azim, has been elected as the new mayor of Male, a post held by Muizzu till recently. Muizzu resigned from the position to contest the presidential elections last year.
The Maldives media reported Azim’s win as a “landslide” and “victory by a large margin”. The MDP is headed by pro-India former president Mohammad Solih, who was defeated by Muizzu, a pro-China leader, in the presidential elections.
The interim results show that Azim won with 45 per cent of the vote while Azima Shakoor of Muizzu’s People’s National Congress (PNC) received 29 per cent, PSM News reported.
Others who vied for the mayoral seat included Saif Fathih, the candidate of The Democrats, and independent candidates Hussain Waheed and Ali Shuaib. The poll on Saturday was marked by a low turnout, according to reports.
Around 30 per cent of the 54,680 eligible voters cast their ballot.
The Mayoral election victory is expected to revive the political fortunes of the MDP, which still holds a majority in the Parliament.