PNC loses bid to defend North Hithadhoo seat as MDP’s Sobe seals victory

The ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) failed to defend the North Hithadhoo seat at the Parliament on Saturday, as the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s Abdulla Sodiq (Sobe) swept the by-election by a landslide.

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

The vacant seat was contested by MDP's Sobe, a former Addu City mayor, and former Addu City councilman Ahmed Saeed (Soda) from the PNC.

Preliminary results of the by-election held on Saturday place Sobe in the lead, while Soda trailed behind.

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

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

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

The PNC’s latest election defeat comes after it suffered a heavy loss in the local council elections and a referendum on holding synchronized parliamentary and presential elections held on April 4.

However, Saturday’s by-election loss will have little impact on the PNC’s supermajority in the Parliament. The ruling party holds 74 out of 93 seats, while the MDP holds 12. Meanwhile, the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) holds two, and the Jumhoory Party (JP) and Maldives National Party (MNP) holds one each. The remaining two seats are held by independents.

Sobe’s success in winning the North Hithadhoo seat will increase MDP’s parliamentary seats to 13.