Sobe: By-election’s results should serve as starting point to secure 2028 presidential election

The newly elect North Hithadhoo MP Abdulla Sodiq (Sobe), on Saturday night, said the Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) victory in the North Hithadhoo by-election should serve as the starting point for efforts to secure the 2028 presidential election.

Former Addu City mayor Sobe won the vacant North Hithadhoo parliamentary seat with 1,375 votes. His main competitor, Ahmed Saeed (Soda), a former councillor who represented the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC), secured 1,313 votes.

In a video message shared on Facebook, Sobe credited the by-election victory to the collective efforts of the constituency’s campaign team, MDP councilors and residents.

"The result we have achieved should serve as the starting point for our work towards the upcoming 2028 election. We must commence efforts in this trajectory following this result," Sobe said.

He further stressed that MDP’s prospects for success in 2028 depend on maintaining unity within the party and working collectively towards the future of the country.

While the results confirmed Sobe’s victory, the ruling PNC described the outcome as a positive result for the government, highlighting the narrow margin by which he secured the seat.

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 proven debt: MVR 3.8 million owed to the Maldives Islamic Bank for a joint loan he withdrew alongside two people.

The by-election came at a time when the government had faced major losses in the local council elections and the national referendum held in April.

With Sobe’s victory in North Hithadhoo, the opposition MDP’s representation in Parliament increases to 13 members, while the ruling PNC retains its overwhelming majority with 74 seats.