The government-aligned Progressive Party of Malidves (PPM) won two by-elections held yesterday for vacant island council seats in Haa Alif Vashafaru and Raa Innamadhoo.
In Vashafaru, PPM candidate Mohamed Waheed Hassan won with 251 votes against Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Ahmed Mujathaba with 123 votes and Jumhooree Party (JP) candidate Ibrahim Nadir with 53 votes.
In the island of Innamadhoo in Raa atoll, PPM candidate Ibrahim Nuhan won with 228 votes against MDP candidate Hussain Shafiu with 177 votes.
In the February 2011 local council elections, all five island council seats of Vashafaru were won by then-opposition Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) with the first placed candidate receiving 300 votes.
The MDP candidate in sixth place received 175 votes.
In Innamadhoo meanwhile, two independent candidates and three MDP candidates were elected to the five-member island council. The third-placed MDP candidate received 194 votes.
