The Election Commission (EC) has declared that Ali Azim, the Member of Parliament for Henveiru Central representing the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), is no longer a member of the party.
On Tuesday, the EC confirmed that Azim's name had been removed from the MDP register as per a motion initiated by the party.
The MDP's action committee informed the party secretariat on Monday about Azim's expulsion from the party. The decision was made due to his repeated violations of the party's constitution and the decisions of the party's parliamentary group. Azim will have the opportunity to rejoin the party one year after the expulsion date, but he will be ineligible to contest any elections on an MDP ticket for the next five years.
Azim has voiced his disagreement with the party's decision to expel him and has also contested the EC's ruling to remove him from the party register.
Meanwhile, MDP's President and Parliament Speaker, Mohamed Nasheed, who is leading an anti-government faction within the MDP, has claimed that actions are being taken against MPs loyal to him in violation of the party's charters. However, the MDP denies these allegations.
