MALE: The Supreme Court of Maldives has barred jailed former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom from contesting the presidential election, western media reported.
The decision is a major blow to the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), which nominated Yameen as its presidential candidate.
In December last year, the former president was sentenced to 11-year imprisonment over corruption charges and money laundering.
Maldives Supreme Court rules against jailed Yameen to contest election
The PPM last week moved the Supreme Court against Election Commission’s decision to bar him from contesting the election as he is serving a jail sentence.
It said the commission had misinterpreted the constitutional requirement for presidential candidates.
Justice Husnu Al Suood of the Supreme Court in the judgment ruled that the decision of the election commission against Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom was correct as he doesn’t meet the conditions set for of the presidential candidate under the constitution.
Yameen, is the half-brother of former dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, who lost power in 2018. He has always campaigned against the influence of India in Maldives.
In a major development preliminary results of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Patry (MDP)’s presidential primary election suggest that Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has become eligible to run after registering a win.
Solih’s challenger Mohamed Nasheed, an ex-president and the current speaker of the parliament, has already rejected the results and has termed them “flawed”.
