Former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom on Thursday declared that the vow to give electoral tickets without primaries to the 12 lawmakers who were declared ousted from parliament earlier, will be fulfilled.
The 12 members lost their seats over crossing the floor from then ruling Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) to the opposition coalition. Subsequently, the Elections Commission had expelled them from the parliament in 2017 for over a year.
The 12 members were allowed back into the parliament after the Supreme Court's ruling last November, following former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s defeat in the presidential election.
Maumoon tweeted on Thursday evening, stating that he will stand firm by his word to give electoral tickets without primaries to the 12 lawmakers, to contest in the Parliamentary Election slated for April 6, 2019.
While rumours are prevalent that the ruling coalition had previously agreed to give tickets without primaries to the 12 members, the leaders of the coalition have not made any statements regarding the matter.
Nevertheless, the main party of the ruling alliance, Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), and Jumhooree Party (JP) have both announced primaries.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has met with the leaders of the coalition on two separate occasions to discuss the division of parliamentary constituencies amongst the coalition parties. However, they have not reached an agreement thus far.
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