Jumhooree Party (JP) has said that it will choose the opposition’s running mate after a secret vote on Saturday night.

The opposition coalition parties have agreed to back a member of Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) as their common presidential candidate and a member of JP as their running mate.

After Hinnavaru MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih was picked as the candidate, JP announced that it will announce the running mate on Tuesday.

However, in a press conference on Sunday evening, JP’s Secretary General Ahmed Sameer said the announcement has been postponed to Saturday.

Sameer said that the JP manifesto has been approved at the party council meeting earlier that day and that they have opened the opportunity to contest for candidacy for all eligible members.

Also, at the ceremony, JP deputy leader Hussain Rasheed Hassan said that they will finalize the decisions made with the opposition coalition and publicly disclose the details on Saturday. Noting that JP makes agreements with coalition parties after the election, Hassan said that this time they will make the agreements prior to the election, making it unlikely that the issues between parties that arose before will occur.

The Elections Commission (EC) has stated that it will open the opportunity to apply for candidacy for the September’s election from July 15 to 25.