The Mayor of Male' City Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has submitted his candidacy form to contest the presidential election.
Mayor Muizzu was accompanied by President of People's National Congress (PNC) Abdul Raheem Abdulla and Secretary General of Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM) Mohamed Tholal when he handed over his candidacy form. He has also appointed Parliamentarian Hussain Mohamed Latheef as his running mate.
Opposition coalition partner PNC chose Mayor Muizzu as a backup option in case their preferred candidate, former President Abdulla Yameen, was unable to contest the election. Since then, the Supreme Court has upheld the decision by the Elections Commission of the Maldives (ECM) to reject Yameen's candidacy form, as he is serving an 11-year prison sentence.
Afterward, Yameen requested the leadership of PPM to boycott the election if the senate finds that his electoral rights have been undermined. Subsequently, the PPM and PNC held a meeting with 126 senate members to vote on the issue and the motion to boycott the election was rejected with 46 votes in favour and 67 votes against.
The meeting also became contentious, causing police officers to intervene at the party office. In addition, Yameen's additional appeal for an election boycott triggered a subsequent gathering of the coalition's leadership. However, Yameen later expressed his support for Mayor Muizzu's candidacy in the election.