People's National Congress (PNC) senate is expected to hold a key meeting on Thursday about fielding a presidential candidate for the September 9 election.
Earlier this week, sources confirmed that discussions were underway within the Progressive Party of Maldives-People's National Congress (PPM-PNC) coalition bout fielding a separate presidential candidate from the PNC amid doubts over the candidacy of former President Abdulla Yameen.
The agenda for Thursday's meeting was sent to PNC senate members on Wednesday night. The agenda includes discussions on amendments to the party's constitution as the deadline approaches to field candidates.
A PNC senate member told Adhadhu that the idea was to pass a resolution that would allow the senate to appoint a candidate or to allow the PPM-PNC candidate to nominate the PNC candidate.
"The PPM-PNC presidential candidate is President Yameen, so we want to let him decide on it," he said.
Yameen is currently in jail after he was found guilty of accepting a USD 1.1 million bribe to lease Vaavu Aarah in the Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC) corruption scandal.
The appeal of Yameen's conviction and sentence started at the High Court but only one hearing has been held since the Eid holidays. The case has stalled due to the leave of judges.
A constitutional case was also filed twice in the Supreme Court to ensure Yameen's electoral rights. Both times the court dismissed the case.
Despite the legal hurdles, Yameen submitted candidacy papers with his former Vice President Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed as the running mate.
But the Elections Commission (EC) on Tuesday declared that Yameen is ineligible to contest. The EC legal team advised that the 11-year prison sentence on Yameen has not been quashed by any courts.
The PPM-PNC coalition on Wednesday filed a case in the Supreme Court following the EC's rejection of Yameen's candidacy. The apex court gave until 3 pm Thursday to respond to the legal points raised by Yameen's lawyers.
