Elections Commission invites applications for presidential election

Elections Commission has called for applications for the upcoming presidential election, to be held on the 7th of September this year.

An announcement by the commission published today called for candidates to submit their applications within a 10 day period starting from today, the 14th of July 2013, which will close at 14:00 hours of Wednesday, the 24th of July 2013.

The commission said in the announcement that the candidates must be Maldivian citizens born to parents who are Maldivian citizens, be Muslims and followers of a Sunni school of Islam, be at least thirty-five years of age, and be of sound mind.

Vice presidential candidates shall also fulfil the qualifications for presidential candidates.

The commission said that independent candidates who are not affiliated with any political party should submit signatures of 1,500 supporters along with the application. A soft copy of a document containing their names, identity card numbers, permanent addresses and signatures must also be submitted, said the commission.

According to the announcement, the presidential and vice presidential candidates’ criminal records would be obtained from the Supreme Court and the High Court, and information related to debts and criminal records would also be obtained from the Department of Judicial Administration and the Department of Penitentiary and Rehabilitation Service.

The candidates should also provide a deposit of MV 40,000, said the commission.

The voting for the presidential election has been scheduled for the 7th of September 2013 from 07:30 until 16:00, and counting will begin 30 minutes after the voting ends.

The permanent results of the election would be announced on the 14th of September, said the Elections Commission.