Revision submitted to allow women to run for Adhaalath Party leader

A revision has been submitted to the internal regulations of Adhaalath Party to allow for women to run for party leader.

Being a male was listed as one of the requirements for candidacy for leader and deputy leader when Adhaalath Party’s internal regulations was first compiled. However, the regulations were amended to allow for women to run for deputy leader a week back.

Adhaalath Party leader, Home Minister Imran Abdulla announced in a tweet on Tuesday that a revision has been submitted to the party’s internal regulations to allow for women to run for leader.

“Based on how the party has progressed, a revision has been submitted to remove being a male as requirement for Adhaalath Party leader, to open the party and improve the opportunity for women to work in leadership positions within the party,” said Imran.

Imran said the decision was made following discussions with the party’s leadership and religious scholars.

He said that the revision was submitted with the endorsement of seven members of Adhaalath Party’s advisory committee.

Imran said that the provision barring women from running for party was put in place because the party leadership found that to be in line with the wishes of general members when the party was first founded, though it is not compulsory in Islam.

Adhaalath Party’s first leader, Sheikh Hussain Rasheed Ahmed, who had played a key role in compiling the party’s internal regulations, told Sun that decision to disqualify women from running for party leader and deputy leader was made because of the opportunity for them to successfully run for presidency of Maldives.

Opinion is divided among religious scholars as to whether women are permitted to lead nations.

The proposed revision comes after the revision to allow women to run for party deputy leader created dissent, leading to complaints to be lodged with the Elections Commission claiming it and other recent revisions were made in violation of the party’s internal regulations by a group attempting to ‘hijack’ the party.