Maldives President breaks global record for longest press conference

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu has set a new world record by holding a press conference that lasted nearly 15 hours.

The press conference began at 10 am on Saturday and continued with breaks until late at night, lasting 14 hours and 54 minutes.

President Muizzu answered all questions from journalists and also directly responded to questions sent by the public.

According to a statement from the presidential office, the press conference was held on the occasion of World Press Freedom Day to appreciate the role of the media.

According to AFP, President Muizzu emphasized the importance of impartial and fact-based journalism in his speech and said that the press is the main pillar of society.

On this occasion, he also mentioned that the Maldives has improved two places in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, achieving 104th position out of 180 countries.

About two dozen journalists attended the press conference and were also provided with food facilities. President Muizzu has made transparency and direct contact with the media part of his policy since assuming power.

It should be remembered that earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy broke the record of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko by holding a 14-hour-long press conference in 2019.

This is the second notable incident in the record of the Maldivian leadership, after former President Mohamed Nasheed drew international attention in 2009 by holding a cabinet meeting under the sea.

The press conference was also streamed on the Maldives Presidency’s YouTube channel. There are three parts to it on the channel, two of which are two and a half hours long, and the third is this part, which is about 12 hours long.