The People’s National Congress (PNC) ticket to contest the Hithadhoo North constituency by-election was granted today to Ahmed Saeed (Soda), who had lost the party primary.

In a news conference held at the PNC office, the party’s Vice President and Fisheries Minister, Ahmed Shiyam, stated that since the winner of the primary, former Member of Parliament Mohamed Sinan, had relinquished the ticket, the party decided to give the opportunity to Saeed. Shiyam expressed confidence that with the support of many, the PNC would secure the seat this time as well.

In the primary held last Saturday, Sinan won with 226 votes, while Saeed, his only competitor, received 187 votes.

During the press conference, Saeed stated that he would work closely with the people of Hithadhoo North to win the seat. He also provided assurance that he would work with the party to do everything possible for the development of Hithadhoo North and Addu.

In a social media post today, Sinan said that following the PNC primary, he had spent the last three days consulting with many people in the constituency. He noted that in those discussions, it appeared that the best way to secure the Hithadhoo North seat this time would be for him to step back and allow an opportunity for someone new. Therefore, he decided to relinquish the ticket and support Saeed.

Saeed currently serves as a councillor for the Hithadhoo Moolekede constituency. In the most recent council elections, he contested for that seat on a PNC ticket. However, Ahmed Nazir of the MDP won the councillorship by a margin of 14 votes, receiving 592 votes.

The Supreme Court ruled on the 12th of April that the Hithadhoo North seat in the People’s Majlis had become vacant. This followed Sinan's failure to pay money in accordance with an October 2024 judgment ordering him to pay MVR 2.5 million for a loan taken from the Islamic Bank along with another individual.

In the Hithadhoo North by-election, the opposition MDP is represented by the former Mayor of Addu, Abdulla Sodiq (Sobe). As no one else applied for the party’s ticket, Sobe was granted the MDP ticket automatically.

While the Hithadhoo North by-election will be held on June 6, the opportunity to apply for the by-election remains open until this coming Saturday.