Thinadhoo Council President Shujau loses seat over party switch

The Local Government Authority (LGA) has officially declared that V. Thinadhoo Council President Shujau Ali has lost his seat after changing his political party affiliation.

Shujau, who was elected as council president on a ticket from The Democrats, was placed on suspension about a month ago following his switch to the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP). At the time, the LGA instructed him to refrain from his duties pending a final determination by the LGA Board on the matter.

Following the LGA's decision that Shujau has lost his seat, administrative responsibility for the Thinadhoo Council has been transferred to the council's vice president.

The LGA stated that under the existing legal framework, any councilor elected on a political party's ticket who defects to another party and is registered as a member of that party in the Elections Commission (EC) registry during their term automatically loses their seat.

The decision to disqualify Shujau comes amid the recent dissolution of The Democrats, the party led by former President Mohamed Nasheed, after it failed to maintain the legally required minimum membership of 3,000.

Before the party's official dissolution, a large number of The Democrats members, including Nasheed, had rejoined the MDP. Shujau is understood to have returned to the MDP following the dissolution of The Democrats.