News Desk
ADDU ATOLL, Maldives — Residents of three islands in Addu Atoll went to the polls in a referendum that laid bare the quiet frustrations of island life: a vote not on grand national matters, but on the mundane tyranny of red tape and geography. In Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo, two small islands separated from the atoll’s bustling core by a narrow channel, voters decisively backed the creation of independent local councils, ending more than a decade under the umbrella of the larger Addu City Council. Across the water in Feydhoo, however, a clear majority chose unity, preserving the status quo in a tally that underscored the atoll’s divided geography and politics.
The results, announced late Saturday by the Elections Commission, came after a day of voting that drew just 47.1 percent turnout among the 9,576 eligible voters across the three islands — a figure that left more than half the population on the sidelines, perhaps a sign of referendum fatigue or scepticism about change in a nation where such votes are still a novelty.
In Feydhoo, the most populous of the trio with 5,810 residents and 4,368 eligible voters, the rejection of separation was emphatic: 1,782 people, or 73.61 percent of those who cast ballots, voted against it, while 615 — 25.40 percent — supported breaking away.
That left a slim margin for spoiled or invalid votes, but the message was unmistakable: Feydhoo, physically linked by causeway to Hithadhoo, the atoll’s administrative heart, wanted no part in the splintering.
Over in Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo, the mood was different. These “satellite” islands, home to a combined population of several thousand and long isolated by that separating channel, saw strong support for autonomy. In Hulhudhoo, 66.70 percent of voters favoured separation, with 30.78 percent opposed; in Meedhoo, the margin was even wider, at 82.63 percent in favour and just 16.01 percent against.
Exact vote tallies for those islands weren’t immediately detailed in official releases, but the lopsided outcomes echoed years of pent-up resentment over decisions deferred to Hithadhoo — everything from replacing a single light bulb to approving major infrastructure projects.
The referendum, held from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. under a new Public Referendum Act passed just weeks earlier, marked a milestone in the Maldives’ push for decentralization.
President Muizzu, whose People’s National Congress swept elections in the Maldives, had made a signature pledge during his campaign: to bridge the channel linking Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo to the mainland, easing the isolation that has long chafed residents.
The government held no preference on the outcome, framing the vote as a straightforward act of democracy — no speeches, no fanfare.
Yet the vote also exposed fault lines. Addu, once known as Gan and a British air base until 1976, was consolidated into a single city council in 2011 to streamline services across its connected islands. For Hulhudhoo and Meedhoo’s roughly 3,000 residents combined, that meant routine hurdles: ward office requests routed hours away for approval, delaying everything from road repairs to waste collection. One Hulhudhoo resident, speaking anonymously to local media before the vote, likened it to “asking London for permission to fix a pothole.”
Proponents of separation argued it would bring swifter governance; opponents, including some in Feydhoo, warned of fragmented resources in a nation already strained by climate threats and tourism dependence.
With the ballots counted — at a cost of between 700,000 and 800,000 rufiyaa (about $45,000 to $52,000) — the Addu City Council now faces a reshaping.
