The main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) has awarded the ticket to Ibrahim Shaz to contest the upcoming Guraidhoo Constituency by-election.
A total of four candidates competed in the primary election to finalise a candidate for the by-election of the Guraidhoo Constituency Parliament seat. They include Ibrahim Shaz, Mohamed Mustafa, Salman Rasheed, and Abdulla Saeed. MDP announced the provisional results of the primary after voting was conducted in the islands and in Male' City. According to the results, Ibrahim Shaz won the election with 56.86% of the votes.
The seat became vacant after Parliamentarian Ibrahim Riza passed away. He was undergoing treatment for cancer in Malaysia when he passed away on February 23. Following Riza's death, the Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM ) has decided to hold a by-election for the Guraidhoo constituency on April 15. The electoral body also opened the opportunity to submit candidacies for the by-election until March 13.
In addition to MDP, The main opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the Maldives National Party (MNP) have decided to contest the by-election. It is the second time a by-election has been held during the current parliamentary term. The first by-election was held after the death of Parliamentarian Hussain Waheed.