President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has decided to allow all interested candidates to contest in the parliamentary election primaries of the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) and Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) coalition.
The decision was announced by PNC Chairperson Abdulla Abdul Raheem, and was shared on social media X.
Earlier today, it was reported that the coalition had decided to reject the candidacies of certain members, based on their belief that the individuals had either failed to offer sufficient services to the party to date, or they had actively worked to create discord between the parties and their members.
This decision gave rise to increased discontent among party members, especially among the rejected candidates, resulting in the President deciding to revoke the earlier party decision and instead allow all to compete.
Following the earlier decision, several party members congregated at PNC's offices, loudly expressing their objections to the decision.
As of yet, the list of candidates has not been published by the coalition.
While a large number of interested individuals have applied to participate, the coalition has postponed the primaries on multiple occasions. As per the most recent announcement, they will be holding the primaries on this coming Saturday, January 27.