MALE, Maldives — President Mohamed Muizzu of the Maldives has set a new world record for the longest press conference held by a head of state, his office announced on Sunday.
The 46-year-old president spoke for 14 hours and 54 minutes, beginning at 10:00 a.m. local time (0500 GMT) on Saturday and continuing past midnight. The event, held with brief interruptions for prayer breaks, surpassed the previous 14-hour record set by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in October 2019.
“This marks a new world record by a president,” Muizzu’s office said in a statement, noting that the president responded continuously to questions from journalists throughout the event.
The press conference was timed to coincide with World Press Freedom Day and aimed to underscore the government’s commitment to media transparency. Muizzu used the occasion to highlight the importance of factual, balanced, and impartial reporting, while acknowledging the media’s vital role in democratic society.
In addition to fielding questions from approximately two dozen journalists, Muizzu also responded to public queries submitted through reporters. Participants were served food during the session, which covered a broad array of national and international topics.
The president’s office also pointed to the country’s recent progress in the 2025 World Press Freedom Index, where the Maldives rose two places to rank 104th out of 180 countries, according to Reporters Without Borders.
The Maldives has a history of symbolic acts to draw global attention to pressing issues. In 2009, then-President Mohamed Nasheed held the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting to raise awareness of the existential threat climate change poses to the low-lying island nation.
Comprising 1,192 coral islands scattered across the equator, the Maldives remains on the front line of the fight against rising sea levels driven by global warming.
