Ruling coalition partner, religiously conservative Adhaalath Party has decided to field candidates in constituencies reserved for Jumhoory Party (JP), in the upcoming parliamentary election.
In a statement released this morning, Adhaalath Party said that, after reflecting on the unsuccessful discussions with Jumhoory Party, the party has decided to field candidates for area that it hopes to win, which also includes the some of the 28 constituencies to be contested by JP.
Friction began to mount between the two coalition partners after Adhaalath Party expressed discontent over being given three tickets, out of the 28 tickets offered to JP by the ruling coalition.
Adhaalath said in its statement today that the party feels cheated by JP and that JP tried to manipulate Adhaalath's support to gain the most number of seats. Adhaalath also said that they now have no "obligations of conduct" to JP.
Adhaalath Party has yet to reveal whether it will compete against the remaining coalition partners; Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Maldives Development Alliance (MDA). The parliamentary election is scheduled for 22 March.