Guraidhoo by-election: PPM ticket to late MP Riza’s younger brother

Main opposition party, Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has announced Hussain Riza, the younger brother of late Guraidhoo MP Ibrahim Riza, as the party’s candidate for the upcoming Guraidhoo parliamentary by-election.

The Guraidhoo seat was left vacant following the death of MP Ibrahim Riza on February 23^rd. He passed at the age of 55, in Malaysia, after a two-year-long battle with cancer.

Election Commission (EC) had earlier announced that the by-election will be held on April 15^th. Subsequently, political parties had opened applications for their respective primaries to elect a candidate to represent the party.

PPM’s Spokesperson Heena Waleed, on Thursday, said only Hussain Riza filed his candidacy during the application period. Therewith, she said the party will be presenting its ticket for the Guraidhoo parliamentary by-election to Hussain Riza.

Hussain Riza is a long-serving official of the judiciary – with most of his time being spent at the Criminal Court. He holds a masters in law.

Apart from PPM – ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and opposition Maldives National Party (MNP) has announced their decision to contest in the Guraidhoo parliamentary by-election. However, both parties have yet to finalize a candidate.

Ibrahim Riza, an attorney-at-law, had served at the Parliament for 13 consecutive years. He had been a member of multiple parliamentary committees, including the independent institutions committee, judiciary committee, and security services committee.

He had also served as vice president of the Judicial Service Commission during former president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom’s administration.

Ibrahim Riza had been elected to the Parliament as an independent candidate in 2009. He later joined PPM.