Areesh elected as new deputy mayor of Male’

Mohamed Areesh, the representative of the Northwest Maafannu constituency in the council of the Maldivian capital, has been elected as the new deputy mayor of Male’ City.

Areesh replaces Ahmed Nareesh, who resigned from the role of deputy mayor last week.

The council took the vote to elect his replacement during a meeting on Sunday morning.

Areesh – who had run uncontested – got elected with the unanimous vote of 16 councilors.

Areesh got elected to the Male’ City Council in the 2024 by-elections on behalf of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). But he later switched to the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC).

His predecessor, Nareesh had resigned from his role as deputy mayor on March 12. Nareesh said he resigned “after being given the chance to serve the country and the people in another capacity.”

A former TV presenter, Nareesh won the Central Maafannu seat in the council elections in 2021 – in which the then-opposition PPM achieved a surprise sweeping victory. He was elected as the deputy mayor on June 21, 2021. Nareesh had served as acting mayor after President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu resigned from his mayoral role after winning the 2023 presidential election.