Supreme Court has accepted former President Abdulla Yameen's case to appeal the rejection of his candidacy for the presidential election.
The main opposition coalition has chosen former President Yameen as their candidate for the upcoming presidential election. However, Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) stated that he currently does not meet the qualifications to become a presidential candidate, in accordance with Article 109(f) of the Constitution, as he is serving an 11-year prison sentence on charges of corruption and money laundering.
The Constitution states that an individual should not have been convicted of a criminal offense with a sentence exceeding 12 months, to be eligible to contest in the presidential election. If such a conviction occurred, at least three years must have passed since the completion of the sentence or the pardon.
Furthermore, the Elections General Act states that a case concerning the ineligibility of a candidate can only be submitted to the Supreme Court, after which the court will make a decision within seven days. The Constitution also states that such cases shall be decided by a bench consisting of all justices of the Supreme Court and that the decision of the Supreme Court shall be final.
ECM will stop accepting candidates for the presidential election on August 7.