MDP primary to be a one-man race

Only former President Mohamed Nasheed, who has recently being designated as Chief Leader of the Party, would run in the presidential primary of Maldivian Democratic Party, which is set to take place on the 5th of the coming May.

Speaking to the media today at the Victory Square, MDP’s Election Committee Speaker Ibrahim Waheed said that the deadline for applying for presidential candidacy was today, and that only Nasheed has applied for candidacy.

When asked about the importance of having another person contesting for nomination, Waheed said that the fact of Nasheed being the only candidate for the primary election was “an answer given by MDP members to the current Government”.

“That answer tells the government that all members of MDP are firmly behind President Nasheed”, said Waheed. “There is no division among our ranks. All members of this party want Nasheed to be the President”, he added.

If only one candidate is contesting for presidential nomination, that person would have to secure only 10 per cent of the total votes according to the Party Constitution, said Waheed. He also said that while Nasheed would be allowed to campaign starting from tomorrow, primary election voting would be conducted all over the country.

MDP decided to hold a presidential primary to choose a nominee for presidency from the Party in the 101st Party National Congress held on the 20th of this month. The Congress passed a resolution to that effect, and opened the door for application for nomination.