MALE, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed said on Friday that he had withdrawn his ticket from the presidential elections scheduled for Sept. 23.

In a message on his official twitter account, Nasheed said after the Election Commission sent a letter to his party, the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), saying that he could not contest the presidential polls, he had decided to relinquish his presidential ticket.

MDP spokesperson Hamid Abdul Gafoor told Xinhua that following the "current circumstances," Nasheed had decided not to contest for the betterment of the MDP.

Gafoor said the party congress would meet on Saturday.

Nasheed had applied to run for the presidential election, but his nomination was rejected by the Elections Commission as he faces terrorism charges.

The Elections Commission said last month that anyone convicted of a criminal offence could not legally contest in a political party's presidential primary, warning that such elections would be annulled.?