President Dr Mohamed Muizzu and First Lady Sajidha Mohamed attended the official Independence Day celebrations held at Republic Square to mark the 61st Independence Day of the Maldives.

The Guest of Honour at this evening's ceremony was His Royal Highness Prince Dr Mansour bin Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, Minister of State, and Member of the Cabinet of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. His Royal Highness attended the celebrations on behalf of His Royal Highness Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Crown Prince and Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Upon their arrival at Republic Square, the President and First Lady were received by the Minister of Arts, Culture and Heritage, Heena Waleed; the Minister of Defence and National Security, Hassan Rasheed; and the Chief of Defence Force, Major General Ibrahim Hilmy.

The Guest of Honour, His Royal Highness Prince Dr Mansour bin Mutaib bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, was received by the President and First Lady upon his arrival at Izzuddin Jetty.

The celebrations commenced with a Presidential Salute accorded to the President, accompanied by a 21-gun salute. This was followed by a ceremonial march-past by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and contingents of the Maldives National Cadet Corps (MNCC) representing 15 schools, during which the marching contingents paid the Presidential Salute.

The programme also featured performances by students from Shaheed Ali School, Rehendhi School and Iskandhar School, alongside displays by the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) and the Heyvalla Cultural Troupe. The celebrations concluded with a spectacular fireworks display.

Among those in attendance were the Speaker of Parliament, Honourable Abdul Raheem Abdulla; the Chief Justice, Honourable Uz Abdul Ghanee Mohamed; the Government's Special Guest, His Excellency Dr Khalilur Rahman, High Representative to the Chief Adviser on the Rohingya Crisis and Priority Issues of the Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh; Cabinet Ministers; Members of Parliament; State dignitaries; and members of the diplomatic corps.