MDP designates locations for primary election ballot boxes

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has assigned locations to place ballot boxes for its primary election on May 30.

The party will be placing its ballot boxes in all inhabited Maldivian islands, Sri Lanka’s Colombo and Kandy, India’s Trivandrum and Bangalore, as well as Malaysia and London.

MDP will be opening the opportunity to apply for candidacy on May 15.

Speaking to RaajjeMV, MDP Chairperson Hassan Latheef said that a five-member committee will be handling the party primaries. The committee consists of Chairperson Latheef, MDP Vice President Mohamed Shifaz, Male’ City Council Mayor and MDP’s women’s league President Shifa Mohamed, youth league president Mikail Naseem and the party’s election committee chair Manike.

Chairperson Latheef said that only those who have become MDP members before May 15 will be able to vote.

Former President Mohamed Nasheed, MDP’s de-facto leader, has announced his running in the primaries, and has already begun his campaign. He is currently in self exile after escaping a 13-year prison sentence over terrorism charges. While the law does not allow anyone serving a prison sentence to run in the presidential election, Nasheed has said that he will become eligible to run for presidency at the last minute.