Parliamentary elections were held in the

Maldives The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...

on 6 April 2019. The result was a landslide victory for the

Maldivian Democratic Party The Maldivian Democratic Party (, ''Dhivehi Rayyithunge Demokretik Paati''; MDP) is the first political party formed in the Republic of Maldives. The party is supportive of the promotion of human rights and democracy in the Maldives. It won ...

, which won 65 of the 87 seats in the

People's Majlis The People's Majlis () is the unicameral legislative body of Maldives. It has the authority to enact, amend and revise laws, as outlined in the Constitution of the Maldives. It is composed of 93 members as of 2024. Each year on the first Mon ...

. This was the first time in Maldivian history that one party was able to secure a supermajority in parliament.

Electoral system

The 87 seats in the People's Majlis were elected in single-member constituencies using the first-past-the-post system. Prior to the elections the number of seats was increased from 85 to 87, with two new seats created in

Malé Malé is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 211,908 in 2022 within its administrative area and coterminous geographical area of , Malé is one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city i ...

; Machangoalhi Central was created by splitting Malé Central, whilst Hulhu-Henveiru was split into two new constituencies, Henveiru West and Hulhumalé.

Campaign

Prior to the elections, talks about forming an opposition alliance were held between the

(MDP), the Jumhooree Party (JP), the

Adhaalath Party The Adhaalath Party (; , AP) is a political party in the Maldives. History The AP was registered as a political party in August 2005, when political parties were allowed to operate for the first time following widespread protests for democracy. ...

(AP) and former president

Maumoon Abdul Gayoom Maumoon Abdul Gayoom ( ; born Abdulla Maumoon Khairi; 29 December 1937) is a Maldivian politician, statesman, diplomat and scholar who served as the 3rd president of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. He previously served as the Minister of Tra ...

, with a proposed agreement that the MDP would contest 40% of constituencies, the JP 25%, Gayoom supporters 20% and the AP 15%. However, the MDP opted to contest the elections alone after rejecting their proposed seat distribution as being too low. In December 2018 the PPM announced the names of 42 candidates for the elections, including 24 incumbent MPs. However, later in the month, former President

Abdulla Yameen Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom (; born 21 May 1959) is a Maldivian politician who served as president of the Maldives from 2013 to 2018. Yameen was elected president in the 2013 presidential election as the candidate of the Progressive Party (P ...

announced plans to leave the party and join the People's National Congress (PNC) due to a legal dispute over the leadership of the PPM. The PNC had been founded by Fonadhoo MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla with support from Yameen, and was also joined by Faafu Nilandhoo MP Abdulla Khaleel. The PPM and PNC would later announce an alliance for the election. Two other parties, the Maldives Labour and Social Democratic Party and the

Maldives Third Way Democrats The Maldives Third-Way Democrats is a Maldivian political party A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas ...

, were also founded in preparation for the elections. The MDP held primary elections in January 2019, with 279 candidates running to become the party's nominees in 77 seats; in nine seats there was only one potential candidate, whilst there were no candidates for the PPM stronghold of Faafu Nilandhoo. Voting was open to around 86,000 party members, with five incumbent MPs being defeated. Former president

Mohamed Nasheed Mohamed Nasheed (; born 17 May 1967), also known as Anni (), is a Maldivians, Maldivian politician and activist who served as president of the Maldives from 2008 until his resignation in 2012. A founding member of the Maldivian Democratic Part ...

was selected as the Machangoalhi Central candidate.

Results

Initial results suggested that the

was on course to win at least 59 seats, up to a maximum of 68 seats, in the legislature. Ultimately, the MDP won 65 out of the 87 seats. This was the first time since a democratic government was established in 2008 that a single party had been voted into power without the need for a coalition. It is also the first time a party or coalition had been elected with a two-thirds majority, which would enable the legislature to remove judges from the bench. If any other MPs choose to support the government, the MDP faction will reach a three-fourths majority, and will be able to pass amendments to the Maldivian constitution. Elected MPs took office on 28 May. Former President Mohammed Nasheed was elected to represent Central Machchangoalhi five months after returning from

exile Exile or banishment is primarily penal expulsion from one's native country, and secondarily expatriation or prolonged absence from one's homeland under either the compulsion of circumstance or the rigors of some high purpose. Usually persons ...

, becoming the first former Maldivian president to be elected to Parliament. Additionally, he is expected to lead the MDP in the legislature.

References

{{Maldivian elections

Parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

Elections in the Maldives