Faris Maumoon, who has secured the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM)'s presidential ticket, has announced that he will contest the upcoming presidential election as an independent candidate. Faris made the announcement in a video message posted on Twitter Sunday.
The Election Act requires independent candidates to submit 1,500 endorsement signatures from supporters along with their candidacy forms. Faris has successfully collected the required amount of signatures and is preparing to file his candidacy forms at the Election Commission.
Faris did not clarify his reason for running as an independent candidate instead of running under MRM's banner. However, it is believed that his decision is an attempt to circumvent any potential legal entanglements, as the Election Commission has decided to dissolve MRM for not having the 3,000 members required by the Political Parties Act. The Civil Court has stayed the Election Commission's decision to dissolve the MRM.
Faris has appointed former Deputy Minister of Higher Education Ismail Zabeeh as his election agent and Dr. Abdul Sattar Yoosuf as his running mate. Dr. Abdul Sattar is a distinguished figure with a wealth of experience garnered through years of service to the state.
