An amendment has been proposed to the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) statutes to bar the party’s Chairperson from any involvement in the administration of presidential primaries.
Under the proposed amendment, the responsibility for organising and planning the presidential primary would be stripped from the Chairperson’s mandate. Previously, the Chairperson was only prohibited from overseeing the election for the position of Chairperson itself.
With this change, the management and oversight of presidential primaries would be transferred to the President of the Appeals Judges’ Bureau. According to party regulations, no individual holding an elected party post or a position within the Secretariat can be appointed to the Appeals Judges’ Bureau.
The current responsibilities of the Chairperson include:
- Presiding over the Party Congress, National Council, and National Executive Committee.
- Formulating the party’s short-term and long-term political goals in consultation with party organs and submitting them to the National Council for approval.
- Ensuring the effective and coordinated functioning of various regional branches and wings.
- Representing the party in national and international arenas and appointing representatives.
- Working to promote democratic standards and equality among party members.
The move to distance the Chairperson from the primary process comes as the former Chairperson, Fayyaz Ismail, has already received the endorsement of former President and current Chairperson Mohamed Nasheed.
While the MDP constitution does not currently prohibit the Chairperson from endorsing a candidate in the presidential primary, Nasheed declared his support for Fayyaz on the same day the latter announced his candidacy for the Chairpersonship.
The MDP Congress is scheduled to officially open tonight, followed by an investment forum tomorrow afternoon and evening. Formal proceedings of the Congress are set to begin on Saturday morning.
On Saturday, delegates are expected to debate and pass the proposed constitutional amendments. Additionally, the Congress will deliberate and decide on resolutions regarding major governance changes and the decentralisation system.
The MDP stated that a total of 986 delegates are registered to attend the Congress.
