The Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) decided to contest the upcoming presidential election for the sake of jailed former President Abdulla Yameen, the main opposition party said Sunday.
After the Supreme Court upheld the rejection of his candidacy, Yameen instructed the PPM to boycott the election, prompting heated debates in the party's senate. Yameen's faction failed to win the vote taken after deliberations.
At a senate meeting, 45 senators voted in favor of boycotting the election whilst 67 senators voted to contest. A total of 126 senators were in attendance but not all the members participated in the vote.
"After discussing President Yameen's proposal, the senate believed that the president could only be freed by contesting the election and decided to advise him as such. The senate was unanimous in doing whatever is necessary on behalf of the president," PPM Secretary General Mohamed Tholal said.
The PPM senate received a note from Yameen with a request to boycott the election shortly after the Supreme Court delivered its judgment on Sunday morning. The senate called a meeting to discuss the note but pandemonium ensued as quarrels broke out between senators, forcing the meeting to be adjourned as riot police were called to restore order.
The meeting grew heated after Yameen's supporters proposed a vote without debating the note, which some senators opposed, Adhadhu has learned.
Special Operations (SO) police soon arrived at the office at the request of the PPM, after which the meeting resumed with a one-hour debate before voting by secret ballot.
