MDP chairperson election postponed

The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has postponed the election of a new chairperson by five days.

Initially scheduled for February 5, the party chair election will now be held on February 10.

MDP did not disclose a reason for the postponement.

It has carried out the necessary preparations for the elections, and has released its voter registry list. The list has been published on the party’s official website.

While the party has postponed its election to February 10, lawyer Hassan Latheef is running unopposed.

Latheef announced his candidacy a day after the former Chair, Ali Waheed resigned from the post.

Ali Waheed resigned, both as MDP Chair and deputy leader of the Maldives United Opposition, on November 28.

In a letter addressed to former President Mohamed Nasheed, Waheed said he was resigning “to pave the way for a leader who resides in the Maldives.”

Waheed is currently in exile in the United Kingdom, and has been charged with terrorism over an opposition protest in May 2015, that led to clashes. Authorities revoked his passport in August 2016.

Following his decision, MDP thanked Waheed for “his sincere hard work for the party, in and out of the country.”