As the Male' City Mayor, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu is the president-elect of the Maldives, the vote to elect a person for the vacant mayoral post should be held before 17 January, says Vice President at the Elections Commission, Ismail Habeeb.

Habeeb stated this while speaking on RaajjeTV's "Falasurukhee" program.

Speaking on the program, Habeeb said that the law requires elections to be held within 60 days of the vacancy. He noted that the Local Government Authority (LGA) would therefore notify the Elections Commission of the vacancy of the mayoral post.

As it stands, the president-elect will be sworn in on November 17th. Therefore, Habeeb noted that the election for the Male' City mayor should be held before 17 January.

Dr. Muizzu delegated his duties of Male' City Mayor to Deputy Mayor Ahmed Nareesh in order for him to be more involved in the government transition process.

Some are already expressing interest in running for the vacant mayoral seat. As such, Minister of Youth Sports and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof has announced that he will contest for the post as the candidate from Maldivian Democratic Party. Member of the Male' City Council, Mohamed Saif Fathih has announced that he will contest for the post as the candidate from the Democrats.