The Elections Commission (EC) stated yesterday that there were 11 female candidates who ran for Council President seats in the Local Council Election held in April 2026, with only one female candidate being elected.
Vice President of the EC Abdul Rahman Salah Rasheed said that 11 women ran for the post of Council President, both as independent candidates and under party tickets. However, the most votes went only to independent candidate Nooma Mohamed for the post of Council President of Dh. Maaenboodhoo.
A total of four candidates ran for that position, along with Nooma, split between two women and two men. With the seat set aside for women, the majority of the council members for Maaenboodhoo are women.
Nooma ran for the position of her birth island while she was a member of the K. Gulhi Council, and was elected with a difference of 100 votes.
Nooma told Mihaaru News that even though she spent most of her life in Gulhi, she has always maintained a connection with the residents of Maaenboodhoo. She also said that she ran for the post of Council President of Maaenboodhoo in order to serve her island of birth and to develop it.
"You can see the development of the islands brought about by a decentralized system when you look at the island from afar. I ran to bring about that change," said the council president of the island with a population of 1,050 people.
She went on to say that with her new-found responsibilities, she will turn Maaenboodhoo into an island that is recognized for various skill sets and an island where capable and professional people reside.
At Gulhi Council, Nooma was in charge of societal matters. She highlighted that she was able to bring about satisfactory changes.
A female candidate from Dh. Meedhoo Council who ran for Council President lost through a very narrow margin. However, when the issue was brought to the High Court last Thursday, the court decided that a re-election is to be held. And so, once the by-election concludes on 13th June, the opportunity to change the number of seats for women will present itself.
678 candidates for the Local Council Election and 678 candidates for the Women's Development Committee were elected, totaling 1,356 candidates. The council members were sworn in on Sunday.
