President amends Referendum questions on upcoming vote of Addu

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu today amended the questions to be included in the upcoming public vote, which seeks opinion on establishing separate councils for three islands in Addu City, by issuing a presidential decree.

The President's initial decision was to hold a public "yes" or "no" poll, under the law governing public referendums, to determine whether the residents of Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, and Feydhoo consent to forming three separate councils, independent of the current Addu City Council.

The President's Office announced today that the President has issued a new decree, removing a question from the original decree that sought to gauge support for establishing a single council to govern both Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo.

Consequently, under the new decree, the vote will now solely seek public consent on the establishment of three separate councils for Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, and Feydhoo, according to the President's Office.

Regarding the Addu vote, President Dr. Muizzu previously stated in a podcast that a decision must be made based on the willingness of the people of Addu before the Elections Commission begins the administrative process for the Local Council Elections, scheduled for early next year.

He stressed that the decision will be made by the people of Addu themselves, and he does not wish to take any action without the public's consent.

The President noted that establishing separate councils for these three islands would enable matters to proceed in the manner desired by the people of Addu. As an example, he said that Hulhumeedhoo (Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo combined), which is separate from the other connected islands of Addu, has been greatly neglected and does not receive the attention it would if it were a separate entity. However, he stated that the government itself does not have a fixed position on the matter.

The poll is scheduled to be held this month, on Saturday, the 25th, from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. The right to vote in this poll is restricted solely to the residents of those islands.