People's National Congress (PNC) leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla has called upon supporters not to be disheartened by the Election Commission's (EC) decision to reject Abdulla Yameen's candidacy for the upcoming presidential election.

On August 1, the EC announced the rejection of Abdulla Yameen's candidacy for the upcoming presidential election due to his ongoing 11-year prison sentence.

According to Article 109 of the Maldives Constitution, eligible candidates should not have a criminal sentence of more than 12 months, or three years should have elapsed since the candidate's release or pardon for the sentence.

After the Elections Commission EC declared Yameen constitutionally ineligible to run for the presidency, Abdul Raheem messaged the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and the People's National Congress (PNC)-formed Senate, informing the leadership that they were lodging the case with the Supreme Court.

Abdul Raheem expressed confidence that the Supreme Court will grant Yameen the right to contend in the upcoming elections.

"I urge all of you not to be disheartened... we must all stand with President Yameen and win together," Abdul Raheem said.

Yameen's running mate and former Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, alleged via Twitter that the EC was under the government's influence. On Wednesday at around 05:30 a.m., Dr. Jameel informed local media that Yameen's case had been lodged with the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court is required to deliver a sentence within seven days for issues related to election candidacy.

The candidacy submission window will expire on Monday, August 7.