9 May 2009 (2009-05-09) 2014 → 18 seats, 31.1% Did not contest 26 7 Start date May 9, 2009 | 28 seats, 32.3% 18 seats, 31.1% 28 26 15 7 | |
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An election to the Majlis of the Maldives was held in the Maldives on May 9, 2009. The Majlis of the Maldives's term is five years and then must be dissolved as pertained in the current Constitution of the Maldives. Maldives now uses the first past the post system.
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Political parties
Political parties in the Maldives were legalized on June 2, 2005 after a unanimous vote in the Majlis which allowed a multi-party system to contest in presidential and parliamentary elections for the first time in the Maldives after 30 years of autocratic rule of Maumoon Abdul Gayoom. On October 28, 2008, Mohamed Nasheed, leader of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) defeated President Gayoom in the first-ever democratic presidential elections. Following the election, Nasheed and Mohammed Waheed Hassan 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 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.