President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that the citizens have shown that they stand by the administration. He made the remark after the candidate of the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) won the Guraidhoo Constituency Parliament by-election.
On Twitter, President Solih congratulated MDP candidate Ibrahim Shaz for winning the by-election and said that it was a major accomplishment for the party to win the Guraidhoo Constituency Parliament seat for the first time.
MDP candidate Shaz won the by-election with 49% or 1,346 votes while the candidate of the main opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Hussain Riza received 1,226 votes, and the candidate of the Maldives National Party (MNP) Ali Areef received 122 votes.
The by-election was held on April 15 in Guraidhoo, Maafushi, and Gulhi in Kaafu Atoll. A total of two ballot boxes were placed in Guraidhoo, two were placed in Maafushi, and one box was placed in Gulhi. A total of 3,423 individuals were eligible to cast their vote in the by-election.
The Guraidhoo Constituency Parliament seat became vacant after Parliamentarian Ibrahim Riza passed away on February 23 while undergoing treatment for cancer in Malaysia. It is the second time a by-election was held during the current parliamentary term. The first by-election was held after the death of Parliamentarian Hussain Waheed.