The Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) has notified the Parliament of the Maldives that Ali Azim, a member of the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), has been officially removed from the party's register. His expulsion came after an investigation by the party's Disciplinary Committee, prompted by a complaint filed by the MDP's Parliamentary Group. The complaint alleged that Azim had violated the party's constitution during his membership.
Following his expulsion, MDP requested that the ECM remove Azim's name from the electoral register. An ECM member confirmed that Azim's name has been removed from the MDP register and that Parliament has been duly informed of the decision. Azim will have the opportunity to appeal the decision to the MDP Appeal Committee and, if necessary, proceed to file a case at the Civil Court of the Maldives.
The accusations against Azim include signing a no-confidence motion against the Attorney General (AG) and participating in press conferences that criticised President, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. MDP has decided to expel Azim from the party for a duration of one year. After the completion of the period, Azim will be eligible to rejoin the party by submitting an additional 100 membership forms. He will also be ineligible to nominate for any MDP position or participate in party primaries for the next five years.