PNC revokes ticket of former MP Sinan for North Hithadhoo primary
Mohamed Sinan, who won the PNC primary for the Hithadhoo North constituency, has voluntarily withdrawn his candidacy to make way for another contender. Sinan reached this decision following consultations with constituents, concluding that fielding a new candidate would better secure the seat for the party. The PNC leadership has accepted the withdrawal of Sinan, who previously lost his seat due to a bank loan dispute.
Mohamed Sinan, the former Member of Parliament for the North Hithadhoo constituency. | Majilis
The People's National Congress (PNC) has revoked the ticket of former Member of Parliament Mohamed Sinan, who had secured the party's nomination for the North Hithadhoo constituency in the primary.
The parliamentary seat for the constituency became vacant following a Supreme Court ruling that disqualified Sinan due to an outstanding bank loan issue. Consequently, when the People's National Congress (PNC) opened applications for its primary to contest the seat, Sinan filed his candidacy once again. Sinan competed in the primary against Ahmed Saheed, who currently serves as a local councilor for the Muleekede constituency.
Sinan secured the party's ticket after winning the primary election held on Saturday. With this victory, Sinan has officially confirmed his candidacy for the upcoming election.
While the PNC leadership has already extended their congratulations to him regarding the matter, Sinan announced on X this Wednesday that he has decided not to contest the election, opting instead to pave the way for another candidate.
Sinan stated that following extensive consultations with a large number of constituents over the past three days, he has decided to withdraw from the race. He noted that the best path for the party to secure the seat would be for him to step aside and allow a new candidate to contest.
Despite this decision, Sinan assured that he would remain fully engaged and play an extensive role in ensuring the party's candidate secures the seat. He further noted that his decision has been formally accepted by the party’s president, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, and the senior leadership.
According to the Constitution, a Member of Parliament shall lose their seat if they fail to settle a proven debt in accordance with a court judgment. Specifically, Article 73(c)(1) stipulates that for an individual to remain eligible as a Member of Parliament, they must be consistently fulfilling any court-mandated debt repayments. Sinan’s seat was previously vacated due to his failure to meet this eligibility requirement. However, he has since settled the outstanding loan.
The MDP has also launched its campaign for this constituency. Former Addu City Mayor Abdulla Sodiq (Sobe) secured the opposition party's ticket uncontested, as no other candidates came forward to challenge him.
