President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that the majority of the parliament members continue to stand with him.
Speaking at a press conference held by the President's Office on Wednesday, President Solih said although there are differences on a number of issues between himself and the Speaker of the Parliament Mohamed Nasheed, the president would continue to ensure that he has the support of the majority of the parliament.
During Wednesday's press, the president went into detail on the differences between himself and Nasheed for the first time. President Solih said back when Nasheed was the president of the Maldives in 2008, he shared his views on the targets that Nasheed's administration had wished to achieve, but that Nasheed made his own informed decisions, which sometimes went against the opinion that he held. While Solih did not agree with some decisions made by Nasheed during his presidency, the same applies at present, said the president. This means accepting that there would be differences in opinion, he added. Any decision will be made after taking into account all other factors that affect it, said the president.
The president further noted that irrespective of who the Speaker is, it is important for the president to have the support of the majority of the parliament. It would be extremely challenging to run a government without the backing and support of the parliament, and all administrations since 2008 have had to experience the difficulties of such a situation at some point, he said. In this regard, the first government of the main ruling Maldivian Democratic Party in 2008 also faced the same challenges, noted the president. He further said President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayyoom, who initially had the backing of the majority of the parliament, failed to maintain the support which in turn complicated the political situation at that time.
'Therefore, I will give utmost importance to have the backing of the parliament majority. It is something I will do. By the will of God, I currently enjoy the parliament's majority, and in order to ensure that the government can smoothly provide services to the public, I will try my best to ensure I continue to have parliament majority,' said the president.
The president's statement comes at a time when MDP has been split into two factions - one that supports President Solih and one that supports Speaker Nasheed.
