The Maldives Parliament on Tuesday passed an amendment to extend the period to file for candidature for presidential elections.
According to Article 5 of the Presidential Elections Act, the Elections Commission (EC) is required to make a public announcement to inform potential candidates of the opportunity 10 days before the countdown to the last 120 days of office for the serving president.
The amendment submitted by Kelaa MP Ibrahim Shareef on behalf of the government proposes extending this period to 14 days.
The amendment was passed by a unanimous vote of the 52 members in attendance. It was then forwarded to the relevant parliamentary committee for review.
Many members questioned the reason for the four-day extension of the deadline for nominations. Some members also questioned why such a small change should be made so abruptly.
However, members who spoke in favour of the bill said it was good to provide more opportunities to contest the elections.
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