Presidential and vice-presidential candidates approved by the Elections Commission will be given security by the state, the Minister of Defence and National Security has said.

Minister Adam Shareef Umar said in a post on his Facebook page that the Maldives National Defence Force will begin providing security.

Eligible individuals are current President Abdulla Yameen along with his running mate Sheikh Mohamed Shaheem and the Joint Opposition candidate MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih along with his running mate Faisal Naseem.

The request to provide security was forwarded by the Elections Commission of the Maldives.