The Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) chairperson election announcement and timeline have been declared void by the President of the Party’s Appeals Court, Ahmed Abdullah Afeef, who instructed Acting Chairperson Abdulgafoor Moosa to annul the decision.

In a letter sent to the acting chairperson, Afeef stated that the announcement to hold the election on June 12, along with the published timeline, was made in violation of the party’s constitution. According to the constitution, the authority to organize and oversee the chairperson election rests solely with the President of the Appeals Court. However, the election committee had publicly released a timeline without informing him, going against the guidelines that had been provided. Afeef also noted that the timeline prepared by the committee was merely a recommendation, and that any final decision should only be made after consulting with the party leadership.

Afeef further highlighted that another reason the election cannot proceed at this time is that a large number of MDP members were secretly transferred to the PNC’s registry without their knowledge. He argued that holding an election without first giving those members the opportunity to rejoin MDP would compromise the electoral rights of both members and candidates.

The election had been open for candidates meeting the required qualifications to apply until May 2nd. So far, the only individuals to have expressed interest in running are former President Mohamed Nasheed and Galolhu South constituency Member of Parliament Meekail Ahmed Naseem.