Maldivian parliamentary election, 2009
Encyclopedia
An election to the Majlis of the Maldives
Majlis of the Maldives
The Majlis of the Maldives or the People’s Majlis is the main legislature body of the Maldives. The Majlis has the authority to enact, amend and revise laws, except the constitution of the Maldives. Majlis is composed of 77 members...

was held in the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...

 on May 9, 2009. The Majlis of the Maldives
Majlis of the Maldives
The Majlis of the Maldives or the People’s Majlis is the main legislature body of the Maldives. The Majlis has the authority to enact, amend and revise laws, except the constitution of the Maldives. Majlis is composed of 77 members...

's term is five years and then must be dissolved as pertained in the current Constitution of the Maldives
Constitution of the Maldives
The Constitution of the Maldives is the supreme law of the country of Maldives. It provides the legal foundation for the existence of the Republic of Maldives, sets out the rights and duties of the citizens of Maldives, and defines the structure of the Government of the Maldives...

. Maldives now uses the first past the post system.

Political parties

Political parties in the Maldives
Maldives
The Maldives , , officially Republic of Maldives , also referred to as the Maldive Islands, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls oriented north-south off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and...

 were legalized on June 2, 2005 after a unanimous vote in the Majlis which allowed a multi-party system
Multi-party system
A multi-party system is a system in which multiple political parties have the capacity to gain control of government separately or in coalition, e.g.The Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition in the United Kingdom formed in 2010. The effective number of parties in a multi-party system is normally...

 to contest in presidential and parliamentary elections for the first time in the Maldives after 30 years of autocratic rule of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
Maumoon Abdul Gayoom was President of the Maldives from 1978 to 2008. After serving as Minister of Transport, he was nominated as President by the Majlis of the Maldives and succeeded Ibrahim Nasir on November 11, 1978. He eventually became the longest-ruling head of government in Asia...

. On October 28, 2008, Mohamed Nasheed
Mohamed Nasheed
Mohamed Nasheed is a Maldivian politician. He is the current President of the Maldives. He is the founder of the Maldivian Democratic Party and was its presidential candidate in the October 2008 presidential election, defeating long-time President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom in a second round of voting...

, leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party
Maldivian Democratic Party
The Maldivian Democratic Party is the ruling political party in power of the Maldives. It is a liberal party with its stated goal being the promotion of human rights and democracy in the Maldives. This party won the first ever multi-party elections in the Maldives...

 (MDP) defeated President Gayoom in the first-ever democratic presidential elections
Maldivian presidential election, 2008
Presidential elections were held in the Maldives on October 8 and 28, 2008. On October 8, no candidate gained more than 50% of the vote; a runoff was held on October 28 between Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and Mohamed Nasheed and his running mate, Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan. Nasheed and Dr...

. Following the election, Nasheed and Mohammed Waheed Hassan
Mohammed Waheed Hassan
Dr. Mohammed Waheed Hassan is one of the leading political figures in The Republic of the Maldives and the current Vice President of Maldives, having been sworn into office on November 11, 2008 as the first ever elected Vice President...

 were respectively sworn in as the President and Vice President of the Maldives on November 11, 2008 in a special session of the Majlis at the Dharubaaruge.

Electoral procedure and constituencies

On February 10, 2009, the Majlis voted 36–0 with one abstention
Abstention
Abstention is a term in election procedure for when a participant in a vote either does not go to vote or, in parliamentary procedure, is present during the vote, but does not cast a ballot. Abstention must be contrasted with "blank vote", in which a voter casts a ballot willfully made invalid by...

 to pass the Parliamentary Constituencies Bill, which Nasheed signed into law later that day. It was the first act he signed as president since being inaugurated into office last November 2008. In the law, each administrative atoll's population determines how many electoral constituencies will be created. On March 9, 2009, the Elections Commission of the Maldives announced there will be 214,405 eligible voters.

The result in constituency N-02 Thimarafushi Dhaairaa was annulled due to irregularities and reported intimidation by the MDP in one polling region; the election was repeated there on 11 July 2009. According to preliminary results, the MDP still won the seat.

External links

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