Will endorse candidates who support parliamentary system: Nasheed

Speaker of the Parliament and leader of main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Mohamed Nasheed has said he will back candidates who support a parliamentary system in the party's upcoming National Council election.

On Sunday, Nasheed said in a tweet that he would endorse all candidates who back a parliamentary system. Nasheed's tweet comes at a time when a petition is being signed calling for a constitutional referendum to switch the country's presidential system to a parliamentary system.

Nasheed has always been vocal about favoring a parliamentary system over the country's current presidential system. He recently called on the president to dissolve the government and to cancel the 2023 presidential election, and change the government system to a parliamentary system through the parliament. Nasheed further said he thought it would be best to bring the change in February 2023, and that the parliament should run the country until the next parliamentary election in 2024.

MDP's National Council elections have been scheduled for September 25. The names of eligible candidates have now been publicized by the party. The party disqualified candidates under investigation in relation to the MMPRC graft as well as those under investigation by the presidential commission on deaths and enforced disappearances. In this regard, Youth Minister Ahmed Mahloof and State Minister at Planning Ministry, Akram Kamaluddin have been disqualified due to links to the MMPRC scandal. Both candidates have requested the party to review the decision.