Guraidhoo parliamentary by-election: Riza congratulates Shaaz

Hussain Riza Adam, the Progressive Party of Maldives’ (PPM) candidate who lost K. Guraidhoo parliamentary by-election has congratulated his opponent who won the election, Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) candidate Ibrahim Shaaz.

Hussain Riza congratulated Shaz who won the by-election held on Saturday via a tweet.  

In his tweet, Hussain Riza also extended gratitude to residents from Guraidhoo, Gulhi and Maafushi who voted for him the election in addition to his campaign team and PPM’s leadership.

Main ruling party, MDP’s win in Guraidhoo parliamentary by-election marks the first time the party has secured the constituency’s parliamentary seat in the past 14 years.

Shaaz won the election by a difference of more than 100 votes as per the preliminary results posted by the Elections Commission.

The Guraidhoo seat was left vacant following the death of MP Ibrahim Riza on February 23^rd. He passed at the age of 55, in Malaysia, after a two-year-long battle with cancer. Hussain Riza and Ibrahim Riza are siblings.

Ibrahim Riza, an attorney-at-law, had served at the Parliament for 13 consecutive years. He had been a member of multiple parliamentary committees, including the independent institutions committee, judiciary committee, and security services committee.

He had also served as vice president of the Judicial Service Commission during former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration.

Ibrahim Riza had been elected to the Parliament as an independent candidate in 2009. He later joined PPM.