The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has announced the provisional results of the referendum on changing the composition of the Addu City Council.

The results show that the majority of voters in Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo supported forming separate island councils, while Feydhoo voted to remain under the current city council structure.

The referendum, held on Saturday, sought public opinion on whether new councils should be established for Feydhoo, Hulhudhoo, and Meedhoo.

According to the provisional figures released by ECM, Hulhudhoo voted in favour of establishing a separate council, with 723 votes supporting the proposal and 329 votes opposing it. Out of 2,874 eligible voters, 1,069 cast their ballots, representing a turnout of 37.2 per cent.

In Meedhoo, 847 voters supported the creation of an independent island council, while 144 voted against it. The total voter turnout in Meedhoo stood at 42.95 per cent, with 1,008 votes cast from 2,347 eligible voters.

Meanwhile, Feydhoo voted to remain part of the Addu City Council, with 1,784 votes against separation and 616 in favour. Of the 4,355 eligible voters in Feydhoo, 2,436 participated in the referendum, representing the highest turnout among the three islands at 55.94 per cent.

Across the three islands, a total of 4,513 out of 9,576 eligible voters cast their ballots.

The Elections Commission stated that the final results of the referendum will be officially announced on Sunday.