Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) has announced that former Vice President Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed has been appointed as the running mate of PPM's candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
PPM has given the presidential ticket to its leader and former President, Abdulla Yameen. However, Yameen's path to contesting the presidential election remains closed due to his prison sentence.
Dr. Jameel previously served as Yameen's Vice President when he became President in 2013. However, on July 21, 2015, Dr. Jameel was removed from his post after a no-confidence vote was taken against him.
The no-confidence motion was passed by the then PPM led parliament following a deterioration in the relationship between Yameen and Dr. Jameel. While abroad, Dr. Jameel opposed Yameen after the motion's passage and had been a lead member of the coalition formed to bring the current administration to power.
However, Dr. Jameel is now leading Yameen's legal team.
Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison for graft and money laundering charges linked to the lease of Vaavu atoll Aarah. As long as the sentence remains in effect, Yameen is ineligible to run for the presidency. His only chance is to be released before the nomination submission deadline on August 7. However, only one of the three counts involved has been tried in court, making it unlikely that the High Court will decide the case in time.
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