MDP Endorses Former Council President Ali Shujau Unopposed for V. Thinadhoo By-Election

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has granted its official ticket to Ali Shujau to contest the upcoming by-election for the Presidency of the V. Thinadhoo Island Council.

Shujau previously held the presidency until his seat was declared vacant on 2 July of this year by the Local Government Authority (LGA). The regulatory body ruled that he had forfeited his seat pursuant to Section 116(l) of the Decentralisation Act, which mandates that any councillor elected on a specific party ticket automatically loses their position if they defect and officially register with another political party during their term.

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The decision followed notification from the Elections Commission confirming that Shujau, who was originally elected to office as a candidate for The Democrats, had officially registered as a member of the MDP on 19 May of this year. The Democrats, which was registered as a political party on 11 July 2023, was formally dissolved by the Elections Commission on 3 June of this year after failing to maintain the statutory minimum requirement of 3,000 members.

On 30 June, the LGA Board formally determined that the seat had been vacated under Section 129(a) of the Act and requested the Elections Commission to hold a by-election. 

Shujau became the first local councillor in the Maldives to lose his seat under the floor-crossing provisions of the Decentralisation Act.

Shujau confirmed to local media that he was the sole candidate to apply for the MDP nomination. Because no other candidates entered the race, the party awarded him the ticket automatically without holding a primary election.

According to the Elections Commission schedule, candidate nominations for the vacant Thinadhoo Council presidency close before Monday, 26 October, with the by-election set to take place on 28 November this year.