Faris Announces Candidacy for North Machangolhi Parliamentary Seat
Photo: Peoples Majlis
Ahmed Faris Maumoon, the son of former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom, who ran independently in the 2023 presidential race, has declared his candidacy for the North Machangolhi parliamentary seat in the upcoming elections scheduled for next year.
Faris made his announcement through a post on the social media platform, X (formerly known as Twitter).
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People’s Majlis being the centre of national reform, I have decided to contest the Machangolhi Uthuru seat in the upcoming Majlis elections. I am counting on the support of the entire constituency. pic.twitter.com/cnM52iNjJ7— faris 🇲🇻 🇵🇸 (@afarismaumoon) October 16, 2023
Making the announcement through a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Faris emphasised the parliament as a central institution in driving positive changes for the nation. He also issued an appeal for support from all residents of the constituency.
Faris had previously vied for the same parliamentary seat as a candidate for the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) during the parliamentary elections for the 19th parliament in 2019. However, he was unsuccessful in that attempt, which led to a temporary withdrawal from the political arena. Before this, Faris had served as the Member of Parliament for Dhiggaru during the 18th parliament from 2015 to 2019.
In the September presidential election, Faris ran as an independent candidate and secured the sixth position among eight contenders in the first round with 2,979 votes. Notably, he chose not to endorse any candidate in the runoff, citing the absence of comprehensive manifestos.
Faris had gained public acclaim for his policy proposals in the initial round, with a strong emphasis on comprehensive system reform for the betterment of the nation.
The Elections Commission of the Maldives’ (ECM) decision to dissolve MRM due to a failure to meet the minimum membership requirements necessitated his independent candidacy in the presidential election. This decision is currently under dispute in the Civil Court.
