According to the provisional results of the local council elections held last Saturday, the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) secured victories in 16 atolls in the race for island council presidencies. The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) managed to lead in only three atolls: Haa Alif, Noonu, and Meemu. While the PNC received its highest vote count from Laamu Atoll, the most significant margin of victory was recorded in Kaafu Atoll. Additionally, the party successfully secured several seats unopposed in various islands.
Despite the PNC’s dominance in the island councils, the MDP achieved a commanding lead in the mayoral elections across the five cities. When combining the votes from both cities and islands, the MDP secured 41.38% of the total vote share, while the PNC followed closely with 40.70%. This marginal difference highlights a highly competitive landscape. A notable takeaway from this election is the PNC’s ability to secure a majority in numerous islands and win several seats even in traditional MDP strongholds.
