The Male' city council has given permission to hold a campaign rally for President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the capital.
Solih's campaign spokesperson and Defense Minister Mariya Ahmed Didi earlier accused the city council of obstructing the MDP rally.
Speaking at a press briefing, Mariya said that the city council refused to grant approval despite repeated requests by the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
"MDP has been requesting the city council to hold the rally. The first time they said was something else happening and didn't give [approval]. When the request was made again, they said someone else has rented the place that night but councilors inside are saying there's nothing happening," Mariya said.
The city council stated that all the candidates contesting in the presidential election have requested to hold rallies in areas under the control of the city council.
The city council also said they were discussing ways to arrange it so that no one would be inconvenienced and equal opportunities can be guaranteed.
Events can be held in public areas of Male' city after getting permission from the council. The main rivalry ahead of the September 9 election appears to be between MDP candidate President Solih and People's National Congress (PNC) candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, who is also the mayor of Male'.
