Elections Commission of Maldives has approved the candidacy of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom to run as the presidential candidate of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM).
A tweet posted by elections commission revealing the decision stated the letter of acceptance has been presented to President Yameen and the nominated running mate Dr. Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed. The candidacy nomination was submitted to the commission by deputy leader of PPM and Minister of Tourism Moosa Zameer on behalf of the president.
The electoral body has approved the submission of President Yameen, who is seeking a second term in office, and opposition coalition candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Home Affairs Umar Naseer and former vice president of Local Government Authority (LGA) Shujau Hussain, despite their previous announcement to run for presidency, have decided not to contest in the presidential election.