South Galolhu MP Ahmed Mahloof has said that political parties will decide how it should give out its tickets.

Opposition leaders are facing public condemnation over claims that their parties plan to support the recently re-seated 12 MPs in the next parliamentary election without holding a primary.

In a tweet on Monday night, Mahloof said that the MPs have decided to vie for re-election with the opposition coalition and that the coalition parties will decide whether it will hand out its tickets with or without a primary election.

However, he said that once that decision is done, the citizens will have the final say.

In a tweet earlier on Monday, opposition leader and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom said that the opposition coalition partners ‘have already agreed to support the candidacy of the 12 MPs in their respective constituencies without going through a primary in the 2019 parliament elections.’

Maumoon has been severely criticized over his statement for being undemocratic.

Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) leader and former president Mohamed Nasheed met with the 12 MPs on Monday and had reportedly guaranteed them party tickets for the parliamentary election, without having to go through a primary.

However, in a tweet on Tuesday, Nasheed said that MDP’s candidates “should be decided through a primary” and that internal democracy is vital to the party’s existence.