Former home minister Umar Naseer submitted his candidacy form to the Elections Commission (EC) today to contest as an independent candidate.
Umar handed over the form to EC President Fuwad Thowfeek together with his running mate Ahmed 'Mars' Saleem and supporters.
Speaking to the media after submitting the form, Umar said the problems of drugs, murders and foreign soldiers stationed in the country would be solved under his administration, which would take the country towards a completely new direction.
The presidential election law requires independent candidates who are not contesting on the ticket of any registered political party to submit a support form with the signatures of at least 1500 people.
Umar said he collected 2000 signatures to contest in the presidential election.
Umar previously contested in the 2008 presidential election on the ticket of his Islamic Democratic Party and received 2472 votes, which was 1.4 percent of the vote.
Umar also contested in the primary of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) in 2013. He received about 7000 votes but lost to former President Abdulla Yameen, who got about 13,000 votes and went on to win the presidential election.
After the defeats, Umar announced his intention to run in the 2018 presidential election. Despite collecting 1500 signatures to become an independent candidate, he decided not to contest at the last minute.
