The number of candidates who will face the upcoming parliamentary elections endorsed by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayyoom will be decided after discussion with coalition partners, says Maumoon Reform Movement (MRM)
Abdulla Aleem from MRM revealed to AVAS on Tuesday that the interviewing of interested candidates will be concluded the same day. However, the target constituencies or the number of constituencies have not yet been decided, stated Aleem.
According to the agreement made ahead of the 2018 presidential elections between the ruling coalition partners, main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) will contest for 35 seats while Jumhoory Party, Maumoon Reform Movement and Adhaalath Party will contest for 22, 17 and 13 seats respectively. The coalition parties had agreed to contest both the parliamentary election and the local council elections through the coalition in order to ensure maximum number of seats.
However, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) decided at its National Council to contest for all 87 constituencies in the parliamentary election, despite the existing coalition agreement to divide up the seats among themselves.
The four leaders of the coalition have sat down several times with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in attempt to resolve the dispute. However, an agreement has not been reached thus far.
There is a chance that MRM may contest for more than the originally agreed 17 constituencies, which will be confirmed after a meeting between coalition leaders, said Aleem.
President Maumoon has already endorsed the 12MPs whom the Elections Commission had deemed as disqualified from their seats following their defection from then ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
108 candidates have submitted application to contest in the parliamentary polls with Maumoon's endorsement, for 80 different constituencies.
Ex Pres Maumoon meeting with some of the members who lost their seats
