Party Ticket Contenders Not Required to Be Party Member, Says ECM

The Election Commission of Maldives (ECM) has clarified that individuals seeking to run for parliamentary elections are not required to be official members of a political party. 

The Vice Chairman of ECM, Ismail Habeeb, highlighted that a person registered with a political party has the option to participate in the parliamentary elections as an independent candidate. Additionally, he emphasised that those contesting on a political party’s ticket are not obligated to be members of the party itself.

advertisement

advertisement

advertisement

According to ECM’s guidelines, individuals running on a party ticket need to submit a resolution nominating the candidate. Conversely, independent candidates must gather signatures from 50 constituents supporting their candidacy.

The ECM is currently in the process of organising parliamentary elections, with plans to conduct them early next year. Discussions between the ECM and the Independent Institutions Committee of the Parliament suggest that the elections may coincide with the month of Ramadan or take place shortly after. 

The decision to schedule the elections post-Ramadan aims to provide candidates with ample time for campaigning. While the ECM has assured adherence to legal time limits for the election, no specific date has been announced.

Several individuals have already declared their intention to participate in the parliamentary elections, initiating early campaign activities. Additionally, some political parties are gearing up to conduct primaries to select their candidates for the upcoming elections.