The Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), part of the opposition, has declared it will conduct its primary on February 3rd to select candidates for the forthcoming parliamentary elections.
On Sunday, the party disclosed the constituencies requiring primaries and listed the candidates who have submitted applications for these areas.
The MDP began accepting applications for the primary on December 16th, setting the deadline for December 25th.
Of the applicants, 36 candidates have been directly granted the party’s endorsement for the primary, as they were the sole applicants for their respective constituencies.
The MDP had previously indicated that it planned to hold its primary within this month.
The parliamentary election is scheduled for March 17th.
In the current 19th parliament, the MDP achieved a supermajority, securing the highest number of seats in its history. Following the party’s loss in the presidential election last September, gaining a substantial number of seats in the upcoming parliamentary election is crucial for the MDP to maintain its political influence.