EC: Will stop illegal primaries

Elections Commission of the Maldives (EC) have said that they would step in to stop any primaries that are being held outside the law by any political party in the country. 

Spokesperson and Member of the EC, Ahmed Akram told Sun Media today that primaries being held by the political parties must take place within the laws of the nation. And so if any party is hold a primary outside the law, the Commission is going to step in. 

A statement issued by the EC today advised the political parties to hold their primaries within the regulations of the basic laws of the political parties. The Commission said that no party will be allowed to hold a primary election that infringes that law or any other law. 

EC said that anyone who is eligible must be given the opportunity to take part in the primary elections and those elections must be fair and transparent. 

While the Elections Commission has made this remark, former President, Mohamed Nasheed, has filed his paperwork to take part in the MDP primaries as the only candidate to apply when the time period closed. 

However, Article 63 of Jails and Parole law states that a person carrying out a prison sentence is not allowed to take part in any political or other organization aside from being just a member. 

Ex-President Nasheed, currently in self-exile in the UK, was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Legal experts have said that Nasheed is not eligible to run in the Presidential Election.