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Court case filed to declare MDP presidential primary invalid

Malika Shahid
16 February 2023, MVT 12:20
MDP President and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed speaks to the press during the presidential primary campaign: MDP has said that the election held with 39,000 members removed from the register is invalid -- Photo: Mihaaru Photos
Malika Shahid
16 February 2023, MVT 12:20

A case has been filed in Civil Court seeking an order to declare the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) presidential primary invalid and stop the party from handing over the presidential ticket to President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

The case was filed by Hamid Abdul Ghafoor, who supported the party's president and Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, in the presidential primary. He has confirmed that he filed the case in court.

The lawyer in the case is former Attorney General Dhiyana Saeed, who campaigned for Nasheed in the presidential primary.

The presidential ticket handover ceremony is set to be held at Alimas Carnival area in Malé city tomorrow night.

Nasheed had earlier accused the primary results of being rigged, stating that 39,000 members of MDP who were previously registered in the party have been disqualified, and therefore denied the right to vote, leading to a fewer voter turnout for Nasheed.

Nasheed had earlier accused the primary results of being rigged, stating that 39,000 members of MDP who were previously registered in the party were disqualified and denied the right to vote, leading to a lower voter turnout for Nasheed.

However, the MDP presidential primary committee has repeatedly said that the 39,000 members were expelled before the party's chairman's election to validate the register. They were registered with other parties, and many members had not provided their fingerprints, leaving their membership forms incomplete.

Despite Nasheed's complaints, the election committee said the complaints did not warrant a change in the primary's outcome.

In the most competitive primary election ever held in MDP history, President Solih won by 61 percent.

Refusing to accept the result, Nasheed launched a political movement called "Fikuregge Dhirun," which translates to "reviving an ideology." A large number of MDP members have signed up for the movement, and over 50,000 members have signed up so far, according to a lead member of the movement, Ibrahim Rasheed.

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