MDP omits Kendhoo in vote, Thasmeen receives ticket

Ahmed Thasmeen Ali has received Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) parliament ticket for Kendhoo constituency without a holding a vote in constituency’s main island, Baa Kendhoo island.

Sitting MP for Kendhoo and former Dhivehi Riyyithunge Party (DRP) leader Thasmeen Ali abandoned his party and joined the opposition after his coalition with for former president Dr Mohamed Waheed faced a bitter defeat during the last presidential race.

MDP Kendhoo constituency vote was held in islands except Kendhoo, and the island constituents living in Male’. Thasmeen won 391 votes, 66 percent of the vote in yesterday’s election after standing against Mauroof Zaki, who won 181 votes.

Although the island was omitted, a total of 260 MDP members were registered to vote form Kendhoo.

MDP’s election committee member Ibrahim Waheed said they could not secure a suitable venue in Kendhoo for voting. He said the matter is now in the hands of the party’s council and that the election committee simply could not prolong the vote any further.

“We can’t drag it on any longer. We tried to send officials to conduct polling. But we couldn’t get a proper hall to conduct the vote,” Ibrahim Waheed said.

He said that the election committee is not considering to re-stage the election.