Tag: ppm

PPM’s Abdulla Yameen takes up parliament minority leader role

Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) Parliamentary Group Leader Abdulla Yameen has been confirmed as the minority leader of the People’s Majlis this morning by Speaker Abdulla Shahid, local media has reported.

With the PPM now recognised an an official party in parliament following the election of MP Ahmed Shareef to the Thimarafushi constituency last week, the former opposition party now holds the second highest number of MPs in the Majlis.  The PPM presently has 17 MPs, placing it behind only the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) in terms of the size of its parliamentary representation.

The majority leader within the Majlis remains the MDP Parliamentary Group chief Ibrahim ‘Ibu’ Solih.

In discussing the new formation of parliament, Speaker Shahid confirmed that the MDP presently holds 32 MPs in the Majlis chamber, while PPM holds 17 elected representatives, according to Haveeru. The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), which formerly held the minority leadership position, presently holds 15 MPs and the Jumhoory Party (JP) has three elected parliamentary members. The People’s Alliance (PA) has two MPs and the Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP) presently has a single elected representative in the Majlis.

Speaking in the Majlis today, Abdulla Shahid also confirmed that seven MPs currently stood as independents.

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Mixed political responses as PPM becomes minority party in Majlis

Ahmed Shareef of the Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM ) was sworn in as MP for Thimarafushi on Wednesday, enabling former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s party to achieve official recognition in the 77 seat parliament as the minority leadership.

Since its formation as a party in October 2011, PPM MPs have been required to stand as independent members in the Majlis chamber.

This requirement is based on parliament regulations that refuses a political party official representation in the People’s Majlis until one of its members contests and wins an election. PPM MPs had been previously elected to their respective seats in 2009 under a Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) ticket.

Following the oath-taking ceremony yesterday, Shareef attended his first parliamentary session as an MP to speak on the amendment proposed to the Decentralisation Act.

Shareef won the Thimarafushi seat in a by-election this weekend against Mohamed Musthafa, a Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) member who had previously held the seat. Musthafa was disqualified by the Supreme Court in February over decreed debt.

Jumhoory Party (JP) Deputy Leader Abdullah Jabir, who had won the Kashidhoo constituency’s by-election is expected to be sworn in today, raising the number of JP representatives in the parliament
to three.

Local media has reported that 44 MPs representing the PPM, DRP, JP and Dhivehi Qaumee Party (DQP), alongside several independent members, have now pledged allegiance to President Mohamed Waheed Hassan’s national unity government.

PPM representation

The DRP was the first official party registered by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom before he announced his resignation from politics in February 2010. After his resignation, Gayoom became the party’s “honorary leader”.

However, Gayoom last year became increasingly politically active and later fell out with his anointed replacement, Ahmed Thasmeen Ali in a public war of words.

This dispute led the former president to form the PPM after an acrimonious split. Several then-DRP MPs loyal to Gayoom and his half brother Abdullah Yameen’s People’s Alliance (PA) party then joined the PPM.

While Shareef’s victory has enabled the PPM to achieve official representation in the People’s Majlis, the party also stands to gain the minority leadership in parliament with a total of 17 members.

The DRP, which formerly held the minority leadership position, presently holds 15 MPs, while the now opposition MDP holds the majority party status with a 32 member parliamentary group.

In this environment, PPM Parliamentary Group Leader Abdulla Yameen contended that the party would become the largest in the country. Yameen has said that “any seats that become vacant in the parliament will be won by PPM hereafter”.

“PPM will become the leading party in working for the people’s right without any personal agenda,” he claimed in a rally held Sunday on Guraidhoo Island to celebrate PPM’s by-election victory.

DRP response

Deputy Leader of the DRP parliamentary group, Dr. Abdullah Mausoom meanwhile has told Minivan News that the party welcomed the PPM’s entry as an official party into parliament, adding that its promotion to minority party leadership did not “bother” DRP members.

Parliament’s current minority leader is Ahmed Thasmeen Ali, but once the change is finalised, Yameen said is expected to take the position.

“We do note work in the parliament, debate or vote based on minority or majority party. We prioritize people and nation’s interests,” Mausoom observed.

He further claimed that there was now a great opportunity to “enrich parliament’s debates through a variety of arguments and dimensions.”

While the DRP stands to lose its minority leadership, the MDP is meanwhile pushing for a no confidence motion against Speaker Abdullah Shahid, a DRP MP.

However, Mausoom insists that the vote will not succeed, adding that the MDP was “mistaken to think” that they will secure enough votes to remove Shahid.

PPM’s spokesperson Ahmed Mahloof meanwhile has been reported as saying in the local media that he would “like very much to vote against Shahid”.

However, Mahloof stressed that the PPM would decide what action should be taken against the speaker through a parliamentary group meeting.  The PPM spokesperson said there were important issues to be addressed in relation to Shahid’s position. Mahloof  alleged additionally that the motion was an attempt by the MDP to fragment the pro-government coalition in which DRP and PPM members are at the forefront.  Several of the parties’ MPs currently serve as cabinet ministers.

Shahid has been target of no-confidence motions over the years, as various political parties have accused him of favouring other sides in the country’s highly partisan parliament.

“Witch hunt”

MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor told Minivan News that the party accepted the “PPM as the new political reality” after years of facing the DRP as its major parliamentary opponent.

However, he noted that the PPM’s road to official representation in parliament and obtaining the minority leadership has been “aided through the February 7 coup.”  The MDP continues to allege that former President Mohamed Nasheed was forced to resign “under duress” on February 7.

Ghafoor claimed that the MDP was concerned that the “current government is on a political realignment witch hunt against its MPs to force them to cross party lines.”

“As you know there are MP’s with skeletons in their closets. These MPs will be the first to realign and we are already witnessing some two to three members within the MDP flirting with crossing party lines. They are not saying they will resign. But as you can see they are attending government ceremonies and showing support,” Ghafoor explained.

Ghafoor speculated that the country was witnessing a significant “political realignment”.

“We are seeing the tip of it. If it [new government] is allowed to entrench for longer, MDP will lose several political gains,” he said.

“The MDP government’s democratic reforms to decentralisation and social protection policies all are under attack and the country will fall back from the centre right policy into the elements of the old dictatorial regime.”

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Former President Gayoom to attend by-elections victory celebrations in Guraidhoo

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is to reportedly visit Guraidhoo in Thaa Atoll this evening to celebrate the victory of government-aligned political parties in yesterday’s parliamentary by-elections.

The by-elections were held to elect MPs for the constituencies of Kaashidhoo and Thimarafushi – both seats were won by parties in the national unity government of current President Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

The Thimarafushi seat was formerly filled by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Mohamed Mustafa, but the seat was yesterday won by Mohamed Shareef, a candidate for Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM).

The Jumhoory Party’s (JP) Abdullah Jabir meanwhile claimed the Kaashidhoo seat.

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Government rules out 2012 presidential vote on the back of by-election “Mandate”

The government has said that victory yesterday for its coalition partners in two parliamentary by-elections is a clear indication of its “mandate” amongst the Maldivian people to remain in power until 2013, despite continued local and international calls for early elections.

Following the weekend’s elections, government spokesman Abbas Adil Riza today called on international bodies to take the results of the polls into consideration when reflecting on the need for fresh national polls.

Amidst mostly peaceful voting, official provisional results from the country’s Elections Commission showed that Ahmed Shareef of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the Jumhoory Party’s (JP) Abdullah Jabir both beat ousted Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) candidates to take seats in the People’s Majlis.

From a government perspective, Abbas claimed that the by-elections should be seen as a “vote of confidence” by the public in the national unity government made up of parties such as the JP, the PPM and the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP).

However, the MDP maintained yesterday that the by-elections indicated that the country was able to hold “free and fair elections” as soon as possible.

“The MDP has consistently called for early presidential elections in the Maldives to resolve the political deadlock that exists since the unlawful transfer of power on February 7 following police and military backed coup in the Maldives,” stated MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor .

“Elections today are held at a time when [former President Maumoon Abdul] Gayyoom has publicly stated early Presidential elections would not be held in the Maldives citing conditions for elections are not right and also that Elections Commission does not have the capacity to hold early elections in the Maldives.”

Public support

In addressing the MDP’s claims, government spokesperson Abbas believed the results of polling for the two parliamentary and two Island Council seats indicated public acceptance of President Waheed’s administration.

“It is clear that there is public support in the country for this government and that there are not any problems with its constitutional mandate to be in power. In three out of the four elections held, the coalition won by a clear majority,” said Abbas. “The MDP has continued to call for early elections, though yesterday’s elections show that the public backs the government until early elections can be held in July 2013.”

CMAG

Abbas’ comments were made as the Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group (CMAG), which was last month criticised by President Waheed’s government for showing “bias” in calling for early elections, is set to convene tomorrow.

The political situation in the Maldives since the transfer of power that bought President Waheed into office on February 7 will be a key topic of discussion for the tomorrow’s meeting. The CMAG panel meeting tomorrow comprises of foreign ministers from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, Jamaica, Sierra Leone,Tanzania and Trinidad and Tobago.

Since CMAG made its original statement last month about the Maldives situation, the US and EU have also pledged to support the Commonwealth in working to facilitate fair, early elections.

Earlier this month, the US government pledged US$500,000 (Rf7.7 million) to help fund an elections program to assist Maldivian institutions in ensuring a free and fair presidential election.

In announcing the elections funding,Chargé d’Affaires of the US Embassy in Colombo Valerie Fowler said at the time that the US would “work with the Commonwealth to help the Maldives work through the current situation to elections”.

The US will lend any support, including technical assistance, to ensure the next presidential election in the Maldives is conducted “smoothly and observed the rule of law”, Fowler said.

“Through USAID we are in the process of starting an election programme that will assist Maldivian institutions in ensuring a free and fair presidential election. We have allocated US$500,000 to start that process and anticipate that we can begin as soon as July 2012.”

However, Fowler noted that the US believed there needed to be an “environment conducive to early elections”, an aim that could only be created through dialogue, as well as capacity building measures.

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President Waheed scores “first political win” with weekend’s polls, reports regional media

Regional media reports have begun to surface following the outcome of yesterday’s parliamentary by-elections in Kaashidhoo and Thimarafushi – interpreting poll results as a major victory for President Mohamed Waheed Hassan.

The Hindustan Times ran with the headline “Maldives bypolls: First political win for president”.  Meanwhile, the Pakistan-based Business Recorder described the president as having “successfully faced down his first popularity test.”

However, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which continues to question the legitimacy of Dr Waheed’s administration, has hit out at suggestions that the polls reflected widespread public support for the government.

As polling commenced yesterday, President Waheed’s own Gaumee Itihad Party (GIP) did not field any candidates for the by-elections. Instead, the president threw his support behind candidates from the former opposition Jumhoree Party (JP) and the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

Official provisional results provided by the Elections Commission found that the PPM’s Ahmed Shareef won in the Thimarafushi constituency with 1756 votes (56 percent of the ballot).  MDP candidate Mohamed Musthafa came second with 1327 votes – a difference of 428.

Abdullah Jabir triumphed in the Kaashidhoo by-election with 1107 votes (54 percent of the ballot).  His MDP opponent followed him with 919 votes while PPM candidate Mohamed Waheed Ibrahim came fourth with nine votes – a single vote behind another candidate who had contested independently and came in third.

Both the PPM and JP form part of Waheed’s unity government, assembled after the resignation of former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Yesterday’s voting appeared to pass without significant incident, despite widespread concerns that violence could accompany the first parliamentary by-elections to be held since President Waheed came to power. However, the MDP candidate for Thimirafushi, Mohamed Mustafha, has disputed the result, citing significant irregularities surrounding polling in Thaa Atoll Guraidhoo.

Speaking to Minivan News today, MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Ghafoor alleged that election observers were obstructed from conducting their duties in Guraidhoo.  He also claimed that party observers had been arrested before the polls closed, allowing the ballots to be rigged by state representatives.

Police Spokesperson Hassan Haneef said the police had received no reports of any arrests or incidents in Guraidhoo. He also reported that there had been no unrest in either constituency after results were announced.

Election Commissioner Fuad Thaufeeq is reported in local media as having said that there were no concerns that would lead him to question the validity of the polls or their results.

In considering the by-election results, President’s Office spokesperson Abbas Adil Riza today said he believed the vote served as a ringing endorsement of the current government.  Abbas added that the ballots reflected “public confidence” in Dr Waheed’s administration,  as well providing a vital working majority in the Majlis.

Abbas also felt that Saturday’s success gave the government a clear signal that it has sufficient support to complete the full presidential term into 2013.

Alternatively, MDP spokesperson Ghafoor said that he saw the polls as “the price we have to pay for early elections – to show that the right conditions [for presidential elections] are here.”

Ghafoor argued that the by-elections were essentially a throw-back to the pre-2008 Gayoom-era, dismissing the interpretation that the result showed support for the current President.

“The intricacies of local elections have a long history of corruption. This [result] has nothing to do with Waheed, it’s Gayoom’s people,” he continued.

President Waheed last night thanked all those who voted in support of the national unity government via his official Twitter page: “Thanks to all who voted for Shareef and Jabir. We have a clear majority in Maldives parliament,” he wrote.

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PPM criticises MCC’s land allocation

The Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) had criticised the policies of Male’ City Council (MCC) over the allocation of land, arguing that the current policies are in violation of decentralisation laws.

The PPM claimed today that the Maldivian Democratic Party(MDP) have been granted land at surfer’s point an Usfangandi, whilst requests from other parties for space to use have been rejected, Haveeru has reported.

The MCC responded in local media that the land allocation complied with current regulations.

During the week it emerged that the Housing Ministry had issued a letter to the MCC informing them of their decision to take the Usfangandu area away from the Council’s control due to the continued political activity on the site. The MDP lease was due to run until the end of June.

The court case concerning the removal of the MDP from the surfer’s point area last month was dismissed this week after the judge ruled that MDP interim chairperon Moosa ‘Reeko’ Manik did not have the authority to submit the case on behalf of his party.

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PPM submits amendment to make enforcement of death penalty mandatory

Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom’s Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has proposed an amendment to the Clemency Act (Act no 2/2010) which would make performing the death penalty mandatory in the event it was upheld by the Supreme Court.

The amendment was submitted by PPM MP Ahmed Mahloof, the third MP to submit an amendment to put the death penalty into practice.

Mahloof’s amendment would require the President to enforce any death penalty if the Supreme Court issues the verdict of death, or if the Supreme Court supports the ruling of the death penalty made by either the Criminal court or the High Court. The move would halt the current practice of the President commuting such sentences to life imprisonment.

Mahloof, in a press conference held in his party head quarters on Monday, stated that he had proposed the amendment in an effort to stop crimes of murder and violence.

He claimed people were of the view that if death penalty or capital punishment is enforced it would bring down crime, and that he had decided to propose the amendment in consultation with several people including fellow parliamentarians.

“I believe nobody would want to die. So if the death penalty is enforced, a person who is to commit a murder would clearly know that if he carries out the act, his punishment would be his life. I believe this will deter him from committing such acts,” Mahloof said.

However, Mahloof admitted that enforcement of capital punishment would not be the sole solution to the problem. He reiterated that in order to achieve a solution, the new penal code and the criminal evidence bill had to be passed.

He also stated that he has been working on drafting a separate bill which is intended to prevent ongoing violence, murder and other criminal activities.

Mahloof has proposed to amend the article 21 of the Clemency Act.

The article 21 of the existing Clemency Act states: “Even if stated otherwise in this act, if the Supreme Court issues a death sentence, or a lower court or High Court issues a death sentence and if the Supreme Court upholds that sentence, the President has the authority to relieve the sentence into a life imprisonment, after consideration of either the state of the guilty, the legal principles behind the issue, consensus of the state or the values of humanity. But once such a sentence is being relieved to a life imprisonment, the guilty shall not be eligible for pardon, under any clause of this act.”

Mahloof’s amendment to the same article reads: “Even if stated otherwise in this act, if the Supreme Court issues a death sentence, or a lower court or High Court issues a death sentence and if the Supreme Court upholds that sentence, the President shall enforce the sentence.”

In Islamic Sharia, death penalty is the punishment of a murderer (one who kills deliberately) and that he is to be killed in retaliation (Qisaas) unless the victim’s next of kin let him off or agree to accept the ‘Diyah’ (blood money).

Previously, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MP Ahmed Rasheed and later MP Ibrahim Muthalib submitted similar amendments to the clemency act but both subsequently withdrew these.

MP Rasheed at the time said that he felt he had to present the amendment because of the increase in assaults and murder cases, which had “forced the living to live amid fear and threats.”

After the preliminary debate was concluded and he was given the opportunity to say the last word on the amendment, MP Rasheed withdrew the changes he had originally submitted to parliament citing that he withdrew the amendment because other necessary bills related to curbing criminal activities, such as the Penal Code and Criminal Justice Procedure Bill, had yet to be passed.

In April 2011, MP Ibrahim Muthalib became the second MP who had proposed amendments to Clemency act requiring the state to enforce death sentence.

MP Muthalib at the time told Minivan News that the purpose of the amendment was to uphold Islamic Shariah in the Maldives.

“[The amendment aims] to avoid human beings from changing the verdict determined by Islamic Shariah,” said Muthalib. “It’s the same bill as presented last time. [Referring to MP Rasheed’s amendment]”

On November 2010, Criminal court sentenced Mohamed Nabeel to death for the murder of Abdulla Faruhad, after reviewing the statements of witnesses and finding him guilty of the crime, making it first such sentence to be issued in a case related to gang murder.

The Judge issuing the sentence stated that article 88 clause (d) of the Penal Code of the Maldives stated that murders should be dealt accordingly to the Islamic Shariah and that persons found guilty of murder “shall be executed” if no inheritor of the victim denies the murderer to be executed, according to Islamic Shari’ah.

Previous death sentences issued in the Maldives have included (in 2005) those found to be involved in the death in custody of Evan Naseem, and the perpetrators of 1988 coup.

However none of these sentences were implemented and the guilty were given sentences of life imprisonment.

“An attempt to conceal the real truth”

Aishath Velezinee, formerly the President’s appointee to the Judicial Services Commission (JSC), said the amendment was another attempt by the MPs to avoid “the real issue” and to “deceive the public”.

“The real issue for thriving crime is corruption. The constitution has recognised this and required the judiciary be checked and cleansed.  The JSC breached the constitution, and those MPs are proposing this to cover up the JSC,” Velezinee said.

“Islam upholds justice, and not only has death penalty; it has very clear qualifications for judges too. Neither MP Mahloof, nor any of the Sheikhs, has expressed alarm that the judges are far below standard and some of them are convicted criminals themselves. This is pure politics and abuse of Islam,” she added.

Velezinee also stated that she had earlier sent a letter to the Parliament highlighting the incapacities of the judiciary and the question of public trust upon the the courts and the JSC, when the amendment had earlier been proposed by MDP MP Ahmed Rasheed.

Velezinee claimed that Mahloof’s amendment was an attempt to hide what her letter had highlighted about the Criminal Court and the Judiciary as a whole.

Speaking to Minivan News, MDP MP and spokesperson, Imtiyaz Fahmy stated that the amendment was a “childish act” from MP Mahloof and that it could be a popularity stunt, especially at a time when a very “complete” and “relevant” Penal Code is about to be passed by the Parliament.

The last person to be executed in the Maldives after receiving a death sentence was in 1953 during the first republican President Mohamed Ameen. Hakim Didi was charged with attempting to assassinate President Ameen using black magic.

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Three former ministers and wives attacked

Three of former President Mohamed Nasheed’s ministers and their wives were attacked yesterday midnight around midnight, reports Haveeru. A council member of the Progressive Party of the Maldives, Ahmed ‘Maaz’ Saleem, was also attacked an hour earlier.

According to Haveeru, those attacked included Hassan Latheef, the former minister of human resources, youth and sports, Hassan Afeef, the former minister of home affairs and Mohamed Shihab, the former minister of home affairs, and later Nasheed’s political advisor.

The attack happened at  around 12:30am near the KAM hotel, while the ministers were on their way home after the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) rally held at Artificial Beach. Hassan Latheef and Mohamed Shihab were with their wives on separate motorcycle, while Hassan Afeef was riding another motorcycle when the attack happened.

In an interview with local media, Shihab said that all the ministers and their wives suffered minor injuries. He also alleged that the attackers included members of Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).

President Waheed expressed his disappointment with the attacks on the ministers on his official twitter account.

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Parties to fight vigorously to win the by-elections on 14 April

Four by-elections announced by the Elections Commission will take place on April 14, with two seats in parliament and two island council seats being contested.

These include elections of councilors for the vacant seat in both Thaa Atoll Gaadhiffushi Island council and Haa Dhaal Atoll Kumundhoo island council, and the election of MPs for the parliament seats of Thaa Atoll Thimarafushi Constituency (formerly held by MDP MP Mohamed Musthafa) and Kaafu Atoll Kaashidhoo Constituency (formerly held by Independent MP Ismail Abdul Hameed).

The two MPs were unseated after the Supreme Court recently upheld court sentences against the pair, and disqualified them.

Former MDP MP Musthafa was unseated after Supreme Court on February 20 ruled in favor of a case lodged by the Interim Vice President of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Umar Naseer, in which the court had found that Musthafa had an unpaid debt. Musthafa owed US$500,000 to the Bank of Credit and Commerce International (BCCI).

According to the Maldives Constitution, an MP with a legally proven unpaid debt who is found to be not paying the debt regularly will be disqualified as an MP.

Former Independent MP Hameed lost his seat after he was found guilty of a corruption case during his tenure in Male Municipality as a Director.

Hameed was found guilty of using his position as then Director of Male Municipality to buy a barge for the waste management unit, claiming that it had been received when it had not, and paying the remaining 50 percent of the bill to the company concerned.

The Criminal Court sentenced Hameed to to one and a half years banishment. According to the constitution, an elected MP loses his seat if the MP is found guilty of a criminal offence, and if the sentence counts to more than a year.

Political parties including the Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP), Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), Jumhoree Party (JP) and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have announced that their candidates will be contesting in the by-elections.

Two parties, the MDP and PPM, have fielded candidates for all four elections while DRP and JP have each fielded a candidate in one election.

However, PPM after fielding their candidate Mohamed Waheed for the Kaashidhoo constituency parliamentary seat, former lawyer of Ex President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom , decided to support the JP candidate for the seat, business tycoon Abdulla Jabir, amid reports of internal conflict within the party over the decision.

The ‘out of favor’ candidate of PPM openly called in a PPM rally held recently that he would not support JP candidate Jabir, whilst the PPM’s leadership, including former president Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, stated that PPM had fully backed Jabir for the sake of the “national interest”.

The unseated MP for Thimarafushi Constituency, Musthafa, has decided to re-run in the election for the same seat he lost, while PPM fielded former People’s Alliance (PA) and Elections Commission’s Secretary General Ahmed Shareef.

Two other parties had also filed their candidacy to the elections commission, which included the a lost candidate in the primary held by MDP to decide to whom the party ticket would be given.

The second candidate, prominent lawyer Abdullah Shair, who filed his candidacy as an independent, was rejected by the elections commission citing that he had not submitted the required documents within the specified time period. Shair has filed a case in High Court asking the court to order the Elections Commission to accept his candidacy.

Three candidates are contesting the island council by-election of Haa Dhaal Atoll Kumundhoo island. They are Abdul Hameed Abdul Kareem from DRP, Aishath Hassan from MDP and Mohamed Shaafee from PPM.

Two candidates are contesting the island council by-election of Thaa Atoll Gaadhiffushi island: Hussain Shiyaau from PPM and Mohamed Irushaad from MDP.

Both the MDP and the PPM have expressed confidence in winning the elections and are heavily campaigning for the seats.

DRP and other coalition partners of President Mohamed Waheed Hassan have backed the PPM candidate for the Thimarafushi Constituency parliamentary seat, and backed JP Candidate Abdullah Jaabir for Kaashidhoo Constituency Parliamentary seat.

The Elections Commission has also announced a by-election for the Noonu atoll Maafaru Island Council after the MDP Councilor Anwar Abdul Ghanee lost his seat after he was removed from the Party.

According to the law, a councilor loses his seat if he is removed from the party in which he had been elected.

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