The Supreme Court has accepted the motion filed by the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) regarding the rejection of Abdulla Yameen's candidacy by the Elections Commission (EC).
On Tuesday, August 1, the EC announced the rejection of Abdulla Yameen's candidacy for the upcoming presidential election. The reason cited for the rejection was that Yameen has not completed his 11-year jail term.
According to Article 109 of the Maldives Constitution, an eligible candidate should not have a criminal sentence of more than 12 months, and three years should have elapsed since the candidate’s release or pardon for the sentence for which they were convicted
After EC announced Yameen constitutionally ineligible to run for the presidency, Abdul Raheem Abdulla, the president of the People’s National Congress (PNC) and PPM's main coalition partner, stated that they will seek remedy through the Supreme Court. He expressed full confidence that the Supreme Court would rule in favor of Yameen.
The deadline to submit candidacy for the presidential election is August 7, Monday. According to the Elections Act, the Supreme Court is required to deliver a verdict within seven days for claims related to election candidacy.
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