A 5-member committee established for MDP Primaries

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has established a committee of 5 members according to the party's basic regulation to prepare for their primary elections held to select a candidate for this year's Presidential Election.

While commenting about the primary election planned to be held on 30th May, MDP's chairperson Hassan Latheef said that in order to prepare for the primaries, the party's basic regulation requires MDP's National Congress to establish a committee of 5 members. Hassan also informed RaajjeMV that the committee has been established according to the regulation and added that candidates can apply to contest in the primaries until 15th May.

The committee includes MDP's chairperson Hassan Latheef, Vice President Mohamed Shifaz, Male' City Council's Mayor and MDP's Women's Wing's President Shifa Mohamed, Youth Wing's President Mikail Naseem and national congress member Ibrahim Manik. MDP informed that the committee has begun the preparations for this year's primary election already.

The statement by MDP finalizing 30th May as the date for the primary election, mentions that MDP's members list must be based on rules and regulations determined by the party. Therefore, members who wish to vote in the primary must be registered prior to 15th May.

MDP National Congress meeting

The announcement made by MDP regarding the upcoming primary election states that MDP has agreed 15th May as the application deadline to contest for the primary, voting date for the primary as 30th May and to select a candidate for the Presidential Election 2018 through the said primary election. Additionally MDP agrees to follow the process carried out in 2008 and 2013's primary elections and that the members list must be based on rules and regulations set by MDP, as well as serveral other details. It also states that in case the member elected through the primary election fails to participate in the Presidential Election this year, the National Congress will determine what to do next.

Apart from the national congress' decisions, MDP has announced that Former President Mohamed Nasheed will be contesting in the Presidential primary. Even though he is not in a position to contest in the election currently, since he has been charged with a jail sentence, Mohamed Nasheed mentioned after the speech he gave at the annual general meeting of The Capital Maharaja Organization in Sri Lanka, that he is confident that he will be allowed to contest in the election at the very last minute.

While Elections Commission (EC) has announced that the Presidential Election will be held in September this year and candidacy applications will be open from June onwards, the opposition coalition plans on ousting President Yameen through one candidate agreed by all the parties. Nevertheless, they have questioned whether a free and fair election can be held with the current EC.