PNC secures Parliament supermajority with 66 seats

The main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has secured a supermajority in the Parliament, winning over 60 seats.

Over 200,000 Maldivians voted in the parliamentary elections held on Sunday, in which 326 candidates contested for 93 seats in the next parliamentary assembly, including six news seats.

The ruling party’s candidates ran for 90 seats.

The preliminary results show PNC won 66 seats, which is more than two-thirds of the Parliament.

Meanwhile, the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), suffered a heavy defeat, winning just 12 of the 89 seats it ran for.

Meanwhile, the Maldives Development Alliance (MDA), which is allied with PNC, won two seats, while the Maldives National Party (MNP), another one of the ruling party’s allies, won one.

Jumhoory Party (JP) won one seat, and 11 independent candidates also won seats.

Meanwhile, the Democrats and Adhaalath Party (AP) failed to secure any seats.

PNC’s sweeping victory in Sunday’s elections mimics the historic win by the MDP in the 2019 elections. The party, which was in power at the time, secured a supermajority with 64 seats. Meanwhile, the then-opposition PPM-PNC coalition won just eight.

And in the 2014 elections, the then-ruling PPM won the majority.

The only ruling party which failed to get a majority while in power was MDP, which was during the 2009 elections.