MPs slam SC decision allowing candidacy for losers of party primaries
Several MPs described the decision as the Supreme Court obstructing the upcoming election
The People\'s Majlis meeting hall
A number of parliamentarians at Wednesday’s People’s Majlis sitting have questioned the Supreme Court decision to lift a statutory ban on losers of internal party primaries contesting in national elections.
The Supreme Court earlier on Monday decided that an amendment to the Elections Act in 2013 that barred individuals who lose primary ballots from nonpartisan candidacy is invalid, ruling for the case that doing so infringes on constitutionally guaranteed political rights.
At Wednesday’s sitting, Hulhu-Henveiru constituency MP Moosa Manik expressed concern over the Supreme Court decision, and recalled an earlier apex court verdict against the Elections Commission, to say that it would make little difference if the commission itself were dissolved.
MP Moosa, a member of the opposition Progressive Party of Maldives, said that he and his peers might as well submit an amendment to the Elections Act so ‘elections are organised by the Supreme Court’.
North-Maafannu constituency MP Imthiyaz Fahmy said both he and his colleagues at the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party’s parliamentary group are primarily concerned, in regard to the matter, with upholding the independence of the upcoming People’s Majlis elections.
MP Fahmy said that the party finds it unacceptable that such an abrupt and significant procedural change has been brought about with elections around the corner, slated for April 6th; the lawmaker described the apex court dimension as a ‘silent coup’.
Pro-government MPs Eva Abdulla and Ibrahim Shareef, of the north-Galolhu constituency Maradhoo constituency respectively, had also expressed concern over the court decision impacting the fairness of the upcoming ballot.
As per the Supreme Court order, the Elections Commission has allowed individuals who previously contested in party primaries to submit candidature, with a deadline expiring on March 4th.
The case was filed by former MP Abdulla Jabir, who lost his bid for a ticket from the Maldivian Democratic Party, which is the only party that held a multi-constituency primary election; the party said after the court decision that it will penalise members who contest independently.
