Maldives President Talks for 15 Hours Straight

Ideally, a press conference should last no more than 45 minutes to an hour, covering both the presentation and the Q&A session. To maintain interest, the main presentation should be limited to 20-30 minutes, with each speaker keeping their remarks brief, about 3 to 5 minutes each.

Maldives President Mohamed Muizzu recently made headlines with an extraordinary display of stamina and openness, holding a press conference that lasted nearly 15 hours. The event, which began at 10:00 am on Saturday and continued until just before 1:00 am the next day, saw President Muizzu responding to a wide range of questions from journalists and the public, with only brief pauses for prayers.

The timing of the press conference was significant, as it coincided with World Press Freedom Day. President Muizzu used the occasion to highlight the vital role of the media in society, stressing the importance of factual, balanced, and impartial reporting.

He also acknowledged the Maldives’ recent improvement in the World Press Freedom Index, where the country rose two places to 104th out of 180 nations, according to Reporters Without Borders.

During the session, around two dozen reporters attended and were served food as the president answered questions on various topics, including some submitted by the public through journalists.

In the middle of the event, it was revealed that this marathon press conference had set a new world record for the longest press conference held by a president, surpassing the previous record of 14 hours set by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in 2019. Before Zelensky, the record was held by Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko, who spoke for over seven hours.

This is not the first time the Maldives has made global headlines for unique records. In 2009, a predecessor of Muizzu, former president Mohamed Nasheed, held the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting to draw attention to the threat of rising sea levels—a major concern for the low-lying island nation.