Candidates from the ruling Congress party have won all six seats in the local council and Women’s Development Committee (WDC) elections in Dhaalu Atoll Rinbudhoo.

In the elections held on Saturday, incumbent councillor Iqbal Abdul Qayyoom, representing the Congress party, was re-elected as Council President. The seat allocated for a female councillor was won by Congress candidate Mariyam Shifaza.

The remaining council member position was secured by Nawaz Shareef. All three individuals are also members of the outgoing council. During the previous term, they had been elected as independent candidates, but contested this election under the Congress party ticket.

For the Women’s Development Committee, Fathimath Samaanee, a Congress candidate, was elected as President. The two member positions on the committee were also won by Congress candidates, namely Inayath Shakir and Nirushaana Mohamed.

Rinbudhoo had previously been a stronghold of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which held a majority on the island. This is the first time that both the council and the WDC have been fully secured by another party.