The Elections Commission (EC) has said that opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s primary election was held ‘unlawfully’.

Speaking to RaajjeMV on Thursday, Commission member and media official Ahmed Akram said that MDP ‘has held activities against the laws and regulations’, adding that ‘action will be taken against the party’.

Akram said that the Commission members are to meet on Sunday, to decide on how to penalize MDP.

Prior to Wednesday’s primary election, EC had warned that action will be taken against MDP under Articles 31 and 49 of the Political Parties Act, if it were to allow its co-founder and de-facto leader, former President Mohamed Nasheed to run in the primary. However, not only did Nasheed run in the election, he was the only one to have submitted candidacy.

Article 31 on the Political Parties Act is regarding the dissolution of parties and the criteria to do so, while Article 49 is regarding the procedures in which in a political party can be fined.

While the Commission had sent in requests to the Maldives Police Service and Ministry of Home Affairs to intervene in MDP’s primary election, Civil Court issued an order to temporary halt it after a request by the attorney general.

However, MDP argued that the Civil Court order was not issued upon it, ‘rather to a Maldives Democratic Party’, and called police’s attempts to stop the election ‘unlawful’.

According to the party, a total of 44011 members took part in MDP’s primary election.