Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) has announced the conference to officially launch the campaign for opposition coalition presidential candidate Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom will be held on February 2.
In a press conference, Senator of PPM Mohamed Abdul Kareem said the campaign will be held from February 2-4 at Dharubaaruge' convention centre. He said the conference will be participated by about 1,200 delegates including leadership of the PPM and People's National Congress (PNC), parliamentarians, senate members, and women's development committees (WDC) members.
The Criminal Court of the Maldives has sentenced former President Yameen to 11 years in prison after finding him guilty of charges of money laundering and accepting bribes in relation to the lease of Aarah, Vaavu Atoll, for resort development through Maldives Marketing and Public Relations Corporation (MMPRC). However, the opposition coalition has maintained that its members will not accept an election in which Yameen cannot compete.
The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has announced the presidential election will be held on September 9.