Ali Azim challenges MDP primary process in appeal to party council

Former parliamentarian Ali Azim, who is contesting for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) ticket for Malé mayor in the upcoming local council elections, has filed a complaint with the party’s Appeals Council, alleging that the primary process is being conducted in violation of party election rules.

In a letter addressed to the chair of the Appeals Council, Ahmed Abdulla Afeef, Azim referred to the MDP primary scheduled for the 16th of next month to select candidates for the council elections.

Azim said the publication of voter lists for islands and cities had taken place only because party election bodies had taken administrative action to prevent the violation of his electoral rights.

He said the party’s internal election rules, which remain in force under the MDP constitution, state that all members registered with the party up to the date of the election are eligible to vote in internal party elections.

According to Azim, the party announced the opening of the primary in a notice published on 16 December. He said constituency boundaries were revised after that announcement and applications were opened for candidates seeking to contest under the revised constituencies. However, he said the party had only opened nominations on 11 December.

Azim said the MDP Election Rules do not allow the voter register for a primary to be closed on an earlier date. He said the current interpretation limits voting eligibility to members registered with the Election Commission by 11 December, which he said is not permitted under the rules.

In his letter, Azim also raised concerns over a change to Article 4 of the Election Rules published on 17 December. He said the revised wording states only that MDP members have the right to vote in internal elections, without specifying registration deadlines, and said this change raises concerns over its application.

He further alleged that the Election Committee is performing functions assigned to the party secretariat, in violation of the Election Rules.

Azim also noted that the Election Committee overseeing the primary includes members with conflicts of interest. He said the committee is chaired by Mohamed Falah, who is campaigning for incumbent Malé Mayor Adam Azim.

In his appeal, Ali Azim asked the Appeals Council to rule that members registered with the Election Commission as MDP members up to 11 December 2025 are eligible to vote in primaries held in their respective constituencies, in line with Article 4 of the Election Rules.

He also requested confirmation that the Election Rules published on the party’s website are the rules applicable to the primary, and that the responsibilities of the party secretariat cannot be delegated to any other party organ.

Azim further asked the Appeals Council to instruct the Elections Committee to ensure that the local council primary is conducted fairly.