Voting begins for MDP primaries

Voting has commenced for the primaries of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) to select candidates who will contest on the party's ticket for the Local Council Elections and Women's Development Committee (WDC) elections scheduled for April 4.

Voting, which is taking place in various islands today, will continue until 8:00 PM tonight, after which the counting of votes and the announcement of results will follow.

In today's primary vote, 92 candidates from 25 islands are competing for island council seats.

Additionally, 37 candidates are contesting across five locations designated as cities, bringing the total number of contestants to 129.

For the Women's Development Committee MDP tickets, 23 candidates are competing, including 15 from the islands and eight from Malé.

The most competitive race in the primary is observed for the position of Malé City Mayor. The incumbent Mayor, Adam Azim, is being challenged for the post by former Medhu Henveiru MP Ali Azim.

Some candidates have already secured the MDP ticket without facing a primary, including the Mayor of Kulhudhuffushi City, Mohamed Athif.

As campaign rivalries reached their peak, especially in Malé, the party's interim Chairperson, Abdul Ghafoor Moosa (Gapo), has requested members to support the winning candidates even if they face defeat in the primary.

In a message sent to party members via social media ahead of the primary vote, Ghafoor stated that MDP has always been the party that carries out the most extensive democratic activities in the Maldives. He further noted that all the work to bring democracy to the Maldives was done by the party.

Ghafoor, who serves as the Member of Parliament for the Hanimaadhoo constituency, said he strongly encourages all party members to participate in the primary vote and advised that the voting process be conducted peacefully.