Fuvahmulah Mayor Ismail beats Male’ Mayor Muizzu to win LGA board seat

Fuvahmulah City Mayor Ismail Rafeeq has been elected to the board of Local Government Authority (LGA), beating Male’ City Mayor Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.

Ismail won the seat as the representative of city councils.

Preliminary results of the LGA elections show Muizzu, the deputy leader of PPM, won 21 votes, while Ismail, a member of MDP, won 24 votes.

Ismail won the seat with the vote of councilors from the four Maldivian cities.

The most recent revision to Decentralization Act requires for the board of LGA to have a representative elected among city councilors, a representative elected among island councilors, and a representative elected among presidents of atoll councils.

PNC deputy leader, K. Atoll Council president Ahmed Nimal was automatically elected as representative of atoll councils last May.

The results on the remaining seats have yet to be released.

Decentralization Act declares LGA must be composed of a nine-member board. This also includes a Cabinet minister appointed by the President, a female member experienced in the field of gender equality,  a member experienced in governance or public administration, and a representative of civic groups.