Nasheed suggests increasing Addu's population by granting citizenship to foreign professionals

Former President Mohamed Nasheed stated today that administratively separating Hulhudhoo, Meedhoo, and Feydhoo from the Addu City Council to establish individual island councils, or "splitting" Addu, would not bring any additional benefits to the individual islands. He argued that the most critical need for the city's development is a way to increase its population.

Amidst the heated debate surrounding the referendum scheduled for Saturday on creating separate councils for the three islands, Nasheed proposed a solution on "X": increasing the population by offering foreign professionals the opportunity to reside in Addu, within the limits of the Constitution.

Nasheed suggested that granting Maldivian citizenship, conditional upon working in Addu for a specific period, to foreign professionals and educated individuals who meet the constitutional requirements is a sound policy.

"There are plenty of young engineers, doctors, teachers, and other professionals in the Islamic Ummah who would utilize such an opportunity. Addu could be turned into a city of 50,000 people," said Nasheed, linking the development of Addu, which currently has a population of over 35,000, to population growth.

Those who oppose the creation of separate councils for the three islands believe that such a move would lead to disunity among the people of Addu and increase costs. Those in favor primarily argue that giving the local council the power to make decisions regarding its own island's development, instead of having those decisions made by a majority on the City Council, would lead to development and progress.

The discussion on increasing Addu's population had not been part of this debate until Nasheed made his suggestion today.

The Elections Commission (EC) has stated that almost all administrative matters related to the upcoming referendum for the residents of Addu Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo, and Meedhoo are finalized. Three ballot boxes will be placed in Hulhudhoo, three in Meedhoo, and five in Feydhoo. Additionally, seven ballot boxes will be placed in Malé for the residents of these islands to vote.

According to the voters list publicized by the EC, 4,355 people from Feydhoo, 2,874 from Hulhudhoo, and 2,347 from Meedhoo are eligible to vote in this referendum.