Voting underway in North Hithadhoo by-election

Constituents of North Hithadhoo in Addu City headed to the polls on Saturday, as the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) and the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) vie for the constituency’s vacant parliament seat.

Polls opened at 08:00 am and will close at 04:00 pm.

The EC has installed seven ballot boxes for the vote; five at the Hithadhoo School in Addu City and two at the Dharumavantha School in Male’ City.

The North Hithadhoo seat was previously filled by Mohamed Sinan (Sina), a politician from the ruling PNC, who lost it on April 12, after losing a Supreme Court case filed over a declared debt.

The vacant seat is being contested by former Addu City councilman Ahmed Saeed (Soda) from the PNC and former Addu City mayor Abdulla Sodiq (Sobe) from the MDP.

Sodiq secured the MDP ticket after running uncontested in the party’s primary, while Saeed had lost the PNC primary to Sinan, but got the ticket after the former lawmaker decided to bow out of the election.

Total 4,121 people are eligible to vote in the election, including 2,073 women and 2,048 men.