Elections to the 85-member People’s Majlis, the highest legislative body in the Maldives, will be held on March 22.
The political parties in the parliamentary race are the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) led by Mohammed Nasheed, the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) led by former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, the Jumhoree Party led by Qasim Ibrahim and the Adhalaath Party led by Sheikh Imran Abdulla. The MDP has the highest number of seats (29) in the present Majlis.
The elections will be held in the backdrop of the Maldivian Supreme Court sentencing all four election commissioners to six months of imprisonment for disobedience. The protests called by former President Mohamed Nasheed may create chaos in the Maldives with negative implications for the Indian Ocean region.