Maldives' electoral watchdog on Sunday validated ruling Progressive Party of Maldives' (PPM) decision to give the party's presidential ticket for the upcoming presidential elections to incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom without holding a primary.
Elections Commission member Ahmed Akram told AVAS that PPM had officially conveyed its decision to give its ticket to president Yameen on Thursday.
Akram said the commission had carefully reviewed the party's charter and had not found any contradictions or violations.
"We've reviewed the party's charter and we found no contradiction. So the commission has validated PPM's presidential candidate," he added.
PPM deputy leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla had said the council's unanimous decision was in accordance with the party's charter which states that an incumbent would automatically get the party ticket for re-election.
The Fonadhoo lawmaker added that given the unparalleled development Maldives has witnessed in the past four years, president Yameen truly deserves a second term in office.
The announcement came hours after the elections commission had barred president Yameen's main challenger from the September elections.
The commission had barred self-exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed from contesting in the upcoming main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) presidential primary.
Nasheed lives in self imposed exile most recently in Sri Lanka after he was allowed to leave to the UK on medical leave in an internationally brokered deal following his jailing on terrorism charges.
Nasheed's 13 year prison sentence rules him out of the elections in September as per the constitution. But the ex-president is set to contest the primary on May 30 unchallenged.
