President Abdulla Yameen has been chosen as ruling party PPM’s presidential candidate.

PPM’s Vice President and Fonadhoo MP Abdul Raheem Abdulla made the announcement late Tuesday night in a press conference at the PPM office.

The party council voted on giving the party ticket to President Yameen at a council meeting earlier that day.

Even though the council picked Yameen, the PPM candidate has to be chosen after a primary election, according to PPM’s regulations. If one candidate contests, there still has to be a vote to give him the party ticket.

Main opposition party MDP is to hold its primary election on May 30. The only candidate vying for the MDP ticket is its de-facto leader and former president, Mohamed Nasheed.

Senior government officials have repeatedly said that Nasheed, who fled a prison conviction, cannot contest the presidential election and the Elections Commission (EC) has warned it would dissolve MDP if Nasheed is allowed to contest in the primary.

The opposition coalition has stated that it will back one candidate for the president election, slated for September.