Members elected as mayors of city councils, members of local councils, and Women's Development Committees (WDC) have signed their declarations and taken their oaths of office.

The swearing-in ceremony for the new councilors was held today as the five-year term of the incumbent councilors expires today.

In addition to Malé, swearing-in ceremonies are scheduled to be held at various times today in several cities and islands. The oaths at these ceremonies for the members were administered by the designated judge or chief magistrate of the respective island.

In Malé, the ceremony was held at the Social Centre hall. The oath of office for Adam Azim, who was elected for a second term as the Mayor of Malé, and the 17 newly elected councilors to the city council, was administered by High Court Judge Hussain Shaneez Abdulla.

During the ceremony, the signing of declarations by the members elected to the Women's Development Committee was also carried out.

Speaking at the ceremony, Mayor Azim stated that the decisions made by the Malé City Council are expected to have far-reaching impacts, and that these decisions should serve as a model for operating a transparent and robust democratic system in the Maldives.

He mentioned that the work of the Malé City Council will be shaped for the benefit of the citizens living in this city. Mayor Azim also stated that given the land constraints and population congestion in this area, plans must be formulated in a robust and effective manner.

According to information provided by the Elections Commission (EC) on the 19th of last month, the PNC secured 280 council seats in the election held on the 4th of last month.

Including the seats for the presidents and members of the Women's Development Committees, the PNC won a total of 584 seats. Out of the seats for the presidents and members of those committees, the PNC successfully secured 304 seats.

The opposition MDP secured a total of 289 council seats, including five mayoral seats. Including the Women's Development Committee seats, the MDP won a total of 563 seats.