Opposition candidate Ismail Madeeh on Saturday won the by-election held to elect the President of Lh. Kurendhoo Council.
The main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s Ali Naseem and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM)'s Ismail Madeeh contested for the position in the by-election held Saturday.
A vote box was placed in the capital, Male' City, and two in Kurendhoo island for the election. Madeeh won 614 votes in total from the three boxes, while Ali Naseem received 564 votes.
The voter turnout for the by-election was 1198, and twenty votes were invalid.
Both MDP and PPM ran strong campaigns to gather support for their respective candidates. Parliament Speaker and former President Mohamed Nasheed and several cabinet ministers visited Kurendhoo ahead of the vote. Some projects were expedited and put on the fast track.
The opposition leader and former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom and other senior members of the Progressive Coalition also visited Kurendhoo ahead of the vote.
The Kurendhoo Council President post became vacant when its former president Ibrahim Sujau resigned from the position in January.
