Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) leader Faris Maumoon, who is running as an independent candidate in the presidential election, has submitted his candidacy form to the Elections Commission (EC).
Faris chose Dr. Abdul Sattar Yoosuf as his running mate in his bid to win the election. Dr. Sattar is a veteran in the health industry and has served for a significant duration in the World Health Organization (WHO).
Initially, Faris had planned to contest the presidential elections as the candidate of his party, MRM. However, the EC later dissolved the MRM, citing that the party did not meet the legal requirement of having at least 3,000 members, resulting in his decision to enter the presidential race as an independent candidate.
Earlier, MRM challenged EC's decision to dissolve the party, seeking an interim injunction from the Civil Court, which prevented the EC's decision from being implemented. Despite the EC's request for a review of the court's judgment, the Civil Court upheld its original decision in favor of the party.
During his official candidacy announcement on Sunday, August 6, Faris said that his decision to participate in this year's election is driven by his commitment to continue reform work in the Maldives.
Independent candidates are required to gather a minimum of 1,500 signatures from eligible voters and make a non-refundable payment of MVR 100,000 to the Election Commission as part of their candidacy submission.
Faris, who had previously served as the MP for Dhiggaru constituency, faced a six-month imprisonment during his uncle Abdulla Yameen's presidency due to his involvement in an anti-government campaign.
The MRM leader played a key role within the coalition that opposed Yameen's administration. He was released from jail in 2018 following the assumption of power by the current president, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Following his unsuccessful bid for the North-Machchangolhi constituency in the 19th Parliament session, Faris took a step back from the local political scene for a period of time.
Other candidates who submitted their candidacy forms before the deadline on Monday include Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Qasim Ibrahim, Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) leader Faris Maumoon, independent candidate Umar Naseer, independent candidate Hassan Jameel, and People’s National Congress (PNC) candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu.
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