Male’ City mayoral candidate Ismail Zariyand says he will boost the Male’ City Council’s income to MVR 2 billion within five years if he is elected to office.
Zariyand, who is contesting the election as an independent with the endorsement of the opposition People’s National Front (PNF), made the remark at a campaign event on Friday night for constituents of the Galolhu district.
At the event, Zariyand said the city council had taken bribes and leased large plots of land for low rates, resulting in the council’s income plummeting.
“There are buildings in Male’, where lease of spaces at said buildings could fetch around MVR 900,000 in monthly leases. But we are generating that much from the total lease of all the hundreds of square feet leased from the entire Male’ City,” he said.
Ismail Zariyand attends a campaign event in Male' City on February 13, 2026. (Photo/PNF)
Zariyand pledged to boost the income of Male’ residents if elected to office.
According to Zariyand, the Male’ City Council currently generates an annual income of MVR 208 million. He pledged to boost this to MVR 2 billion by the end of his five-year tenure, if elected.
Zariyand said that the biggest income generator for the city council at present is annual fees from vehicles.
But he pointed out that the city council hasn’t been able to find suitable roads or parking for these vehicles.
“They generate MVR 125 million from the annual fee on motorcycles and other vehicles. Think about this. 60 percent of their income is coming from vehicles. But they aren’t able to show a place to park these vehicles. They haven’t been able to develop roads to drive these vehicles in. This is the reality we are living in,” he said.
Zariyand said that he does not follow any political “logo” and that the only think he follows is the need to provide proper services to the residents of Male’.