Maldives President Breaks Record with Nearly 15-Hour Press Conference

Maldivian President Mohamed Muizzu has claimed a new world record after hosting a press conference lasting nearly 15 hours, surpassing the previous milestone set by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

The president’s office announced on Sunday, May 4, that Muizzu, 46, began taking questions at 10:00 am local time (0500 GMT) on Saturday, continuing for an unprecedented 14 hours and 54 minutes. The marathon session included only short breaks for prayers and extended well past midnight.

Describing the event as “a new world record by a president,” the statement said Muizzu continuously fielded questions from both journalists and members of the public, who had submitted their queries through reporters in attendance.

Zelensky had previously set the record in October 2019, holding a 14-hour press conference, which had itself overtaken a 7-hour session by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko.

Muizzu’s record-breaking press engagement was timed to coincide with World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on May 3. The president used the occasion to highlight the importance of a free and responsible media.

“He acknowledged the crucial role of the press in society and emphasised the importance of factual, balanced, and impartial reporting,” the statement noted.

The government also celebrated the Maldives’ rise by two places in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, moving up to 104th out of 180 countries in the annual ranking compiled by Reporters Without Borders (RSF).

The session saw the president address a wide array of topics, with around two dozen reporters attending the event. Food was provided to those present during the lengthy proceedings.

This is not the first time a Maldivian president has made headlines with an unconventional record. In 2009, then-President Mohamed Nasheed held the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting to draw attention to the threat of rising sea levels due to climate change. Wearing scuba gear, Nasheed and his ministers conducted the symbolic session beneath the waves of the Indian Ocean.

The Maldives, comprising 1,192 low-lying coral islands scattered across the equator, is among the nations most vulnerable to climate change and rising sea levels.