President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has officially designated Thinadhoo Island in Gaafu Dhaal Atoll as a city, effective from August 30, 2023. The declaration was made under the powers vested in the President by Section 51 (a) of the Decentralisation Act of the Maldives (Law number 7/2010).
President Solih, vying for re-election, announced the conferment of city status upon Thinadhoo during a campaign rally on the island on Wednesday. The President has signed the resolution for this status, and the official declaration has been published in the Government Gazette.
President Solih has fulfilled his pledge from the 2018 election to grant city status to Thinadhoo. Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the PPM-PNC presidential candidate, had also committed to the same during his recent campaign visit to the island.
The president said he had received a recommendation by the Local Government Authority (LGA) to grant city status to Thinadhoo earlier in January this year. City status was given to Thinadhoo due to the island's substantial population and its crucial role in providing a wide range of services to residents of the area. As the region's economic hub, administration and development efforts in Thinadhoo must be carried out under the administration's plan for the island's development.
Requirements for city status
- Population not less than 10,000
- Having a tertiary hospital
- Availability of a commercial harbour
- Access to bank services
- If the city is created to include many islands, the main island of the city must have the potential to be expanded by further dredging
- Have a center that teaches up to first-degree
According to the most recent census, the population of Thinadhoo is approximately 8,000. Therefore, Thinadhoo does not officially have a registered population of 10,000 as the law requires for city status. However, Thinadhoo Council President Saud Ali said the population requirement has now been met.
Under the provisions of the Decentralisation Act, if an island or region applies for city status and meets the requirements specified in the Act, the President is authorized to declare city status for that island or area. In his decree, President Solih declared that Thinadhoo Island had met the requirements. With the designation of Thinadhoo as a city, the number of cities in the Maldives has increased to five.
