Adam Azim secures MDP mayoral ticket in landslide win

In the competitive primary held Friday to select candidates for the opposition MDP to represent the party in the Local Council Elections, the current Malé Mayor, Adam Azim, has secured the ticket for the Mayor of Malé.

According to the results of the ballot boxes counted so far in the MDP Malé primary, Adam Azim received 1,026 votes, while his opponent, former Member of Parliament for Central Henveiru constituency, Ali Azim, received 683 votes.

The voting for the primary, which was conducted across various islands today, continued until 8:00 PM last night.

The most competitive and high-spirited campaign within the MDP primary took place between Adam Azim and Ali Azim. During their campaigns, both sides exchanged heated verbal attacks.

In yesterdays primary vote, 92 candidates from 25 islands contested for the island council elections.

Additionally, a total of 129 people competed, including 37 candidates from five locations designated as cities.

For the MDP ticket for the Women's Development Committee, 23 candidates contested, including 15 from the islands and eight from Malé.

Some candidates secured the MDP ticket without having to contest in the primary. This includes the Mayor of Kulhudhuffushi City, Mohamed Athif.

While the campaign rivalry was particularly intense in Malé, the party's interim Chairperson, Abdul Ghafoor Moosa (Gapo), requested that even those who lose the primary support the candidates who successfully secure the tickets.

In a message sent to party members via social media prior to the opposition's largest party primary vote, Ghafoor stated that "MDP is always the party that conducts the most extensive democratic activities in the Maldives." He further noted that majority work to bring democracy to the Maldives was done by that party.

Ghafoor, who serves as the Member of Parliament for the Hanimaadhoo constituency, said that he very much requested all party members to participate in the primary vote and advised that the voting process be carried out peacefully.