“ Today is a happy day.
Without exception, the biggest winners of today’s elections are the Maldivian people. To have this election across the country under peaceful and civil conditions is a clear win for us as a society. That our campaign was issue-oriented and not based on hatred and narrow divisions is a win for our young democracy. That our government did not hinder those candidates with whom we did not agree is a big win for the country.
Many of our coalition partners in the government were contenders in this election- some were our opponents. I assure the people, as I’ve done time and again, the coalition remains intact. I haven’t forgotten the hard work by our coalition partners to bring the country back from the brink of President Yameen’s disastrous rule. I will continue to work with the leaders of all our coalition partners to ensure we deliver on our pledges to the people.
I also congratulate all the individual winners, especially the MDP which has secured a huge majority in Majlis. While we celebrate, we must also not forget the immense challenges that lie ahead of us. The work to strengthen our democratic institutions, to deliver basic services for citizens, to our promise of bringing corruption, past and present to book and ending impunity starts now. I look forward to working with all of you to realize our promises to the people.
Congratulations are also due to the various institutions who ran this election in exemplary fashion. The Elections Commission and the Maldives Police Service and the Maldives National Defence Force deserve exceptional praise for conducting an election worthy of the Maldivian people’s democratic aspirations.
May almighty Allah bestow his blessings on us and may our nation continue to progress and prosper.”
Ends.