Interim leader of the opposition coalition Abdul Raheem Abdulla has assured supporters that jailed former President Abdulla Yameen will be contesting in the September 9 presidential election.
Speaking at an opposition rally at the artificial beach area in Male' on Friday night, Abdul Raheem said the Progressive Party of Maldives-People's National Congress (PPM-PNC) coalition would field Yameen as the candidate.
PPM-PNC is currently in political talks with The Democrats. Despite Abdul Raheem's assurance, The Democrats are pushing for a joint candidate as Yameen would not be able to contest unless his sentence is overturned.
"PPM will contest to win with President Yameen. There is no reason to feel dismayed," Abdul Raheem who serves as the president of PNC told opposition supporters.
Yameen is serving an 11-year jail sentence after the Criminal Court found him guilty of bribery in the leasing of Vaavu Aarah island in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal.
He was awarded the PPM-PNC presidential ticket but is not expected to be able to contest if the prison sentence remains. The coalition says Yameen's candidacy will be submitted even if the verdict is not overturned.
Elections Commission (EC) President Fuwad Thowfeek earlier told Adhadhu that the commission would reject Yameen's candidacy if his conviction and sentence continued.
"[He] cannot contest until [the jail sentence] is quashed. The candidacy will not be accepted. [They] can submit [the form] but we will not accept [the candidacy]," he said.
Responding to the remarks, PPM Vice President and MP Ahmed Shiyam told Adhadhu that Fuwad was under government pressure to reject Yameen's candidacy by changing his stance.
“Earlier, Fuwad said that there is no obstacle for President Yameen to contest in this situation. Actually, it seems that the reason why Fuwad changed his language is that he is under pressure from the government,” Shiyam alleged.
He added that there is no legal excuse to obstruct Yameen's candidacy and that deciding whether to accept or reject the candidacy is not in the EC president's hands.
PPM-PNC coalition earlier stated that they would go to court if EC rejects Yameen's candidacy. According to Fuwad and as per the law, the EC will have to accept Yameen's candidacy if the court issues an order.
