The Elections Commission has announced a deadline for individuals who have lost an internal primary election to submit candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary election.

Before Monday, individuals who contested and lost primary votes was disallowed from contesting independently, as per a 2013 amendment to the Election Act. 

However, this amendment was declared invalid by the Supreme Court in a hearing on Monday morning, holding that doing so infringes on political rights guaranteed by the constitution.

The case was filed by former MP Abdulla Jabir, who lost his bid for a ticket from the Maldivian Democratic Party, which says it will penalise members who contest independently. 

The deadline for nonpartisan candidacy has been set at 4pm on 4th March. The parliamentary election will be held on 6th April.