The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), the country’s main ruling party, has rescheduled its Congress elections for September 25.
The elections were originally set for May 29 but were postponed owing to the May 6 bombing that targeted MDP leader and People’s Majlis Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.
MDP Chairperson and West-Henveyru MP Hassan Latheef indicated during a press conference to present information about the elections that 730 candidates are competing for various positions and constituencies. He further stated that the final list of candidates for the MDP Congress elections will be made public on Thursday.
He said that the party agreed on the final list after evaluating 17 complaints received against candidates running in the elections.
The party has organized a nine-member committee to oversee and administer the elections, including Planning Minister Mohamed Aslam, Health Minister Ahmed Naseem, and Education Minister Dr Aishath Ali.
The MDP is the largest political party in the country, with over 93,000 members. This year’s MDP Congress elections will be the party’s largest internal elections yet, with over 300 voting booths set up across the country.