Nasheed's faction raises primary validity questions

MDP Members supporting Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has raised concern about the fairness in selecting the members to the committee to oversee the party primaries, stating that this now raises questions about the validity of the entire primaries process.

Dispute between President Solih’s faction and Speaker Nasheed’s faction over how to select the committee led to the latter team boycotting the meeting held Monday evening.

While the committee to oversee the primaries is to comprise of 5 members, pro-Nasheed members put forward only 3 names suggesting that President Solih’s faction propose three names as well, of which 2 from each faction was to be chosen along with a common member that both factions were happy with. 

This, they said, would lead to equal representation between the two candidates.

But because a vote couldn’t be asked for a three candidate nomination, the chair Mr. Fayyaz Ismail gave three more opportunities for the members of Nasheed’s faction to propose two additional names, which eventually led to pro-Nasheed members boycotting the rest of the meeting. 

Afterwards, MP Hussain Shaheem from President Solih’s faction nominated five names to the committee, which was then unanimously voted for by the remaining members in attendance at the meeting last evening. 

Soon after boycotting the meeting MP Hassan Latheef from Nasheed’s faction gave an interview to Sangu TV accusing that MDP’s fundamental rules were being broken in this primary process. To back this accusation MP Latheef highlighted, like MP Azim had done so earlier in the meeting itself, that works scheduled to be done by the committee had already been completed by the Party administration even before the committee had been selected.

He further highlighted that the primaries this time were expected to be the most competitive and intense elections ever held, stating that the committee formed to oversee these matters should be of vital importance as well.

And because of how the committee had chosen last night, the validity of the candidate chosen through the primaries would later on be questioned by the MDP members and this in turn would raise questions about the entire primary process, said MP Latheef.