The Election Commission (EC) has opened applications for those interested in contesting the upcoming presidential election.
Applications will be accepted from 9:00 am tomorrow until 2:00 pm on Monday, August 7.
The EC said in an announcement today that candidates must submit their application forms and other relevant materials to the Election Centre established at Dharubaaruge.
Eligibility criteria for presidential candidates:
(a) Must be a Maldivian citizen born to parents who are Maldivian citizens and who is not also a citizen of a foreign country;
(b) Must be a Muslim and a follower of a Sunni school of Islam;
(c) Must be at least thirty-five years of age;
(d) Must be of sound mind;
(e) Must not have an undischarged decreed debt;
(f) Must not have been convicted of a criminal offense and sentenced to a term of more than twelve months, unless a period of three years has elapsed since his release, or pardon for the offense for which he was sentenced; and
(g) despite the provisions of article (f), not have been convicted of an offense for which a hadd is prescribed in Islam or of fraud, deception or criminal breach of trust. (Art. 109)
According to the General Elections Act, each candidate is required to appoint an official election agent before officially running for election. Additionally, candidates are obliged to pay an administrative fee of MVR 100,000. Independent candidates must also provide evidence of support from at least 1,500 individuals over the age of 18.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim, Maldives National Party President Mohamed Nazim, former Home Minister Umar Naseer, and former Attorney General Dr. Mohamed Munawwar have said they would contest the presidential election. However, former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Qayyoom, who is currently serving an 11-year sentence on a money laundering and bribery conviction, is ineligible to contest the election, despite receiving a ticket from the main opposition PPM-PNC coalition.
Meanwhile, Hulhudhoo MP Ilyas Labeeb has said he would contest The Democrats' presidential primary.
