Ruling coalition partners Adhaalath Party and Jumhooree Party have backed the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s candidate for the upcoming Komandoo by-election.
The Komandoo constituency parliamentary seat became vacant following the death of MP Hussain Waheed, who passed away last December. The Elections Commission has said the by-election would be held on February 5, and three candidates are contesting in the election. They are Mohamed Rashid from MDP, Moosa Fathuhee from the opposing Progressive Party of the Maldives (PPM), and Abdul Hannan Idris from the newly formed Maldives National Party (MNP).
Jumhooree Party on Saturday confirmed that the party would be backing MDP in the by-election. An official from the party said their leader, Qasim Ibrahim, will be taking part in Mohamed Rashid's campaign activities and traveling to islands of the Komandoo constituency next week.
Meanwhile, the religiously conservative Adhaalath Party also announced their decision to back Mohamed Rashid on Saturday. The party said President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had requested the party to support Mohamed Rashid and that the party had reached the decision to rally behind the MDP candidate as per the president's request.
Adhaalath further explained their decision and said since the conception of the new constitution in 2008, the current administration has been the government that has been the most successful in maintaining peace and order in the society and decreasing political fraction. The current administration has continued to enhance the country's economy despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and has successfully maintained the ruling coalition, the party said.
he party further said President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has appropriately addressed every concern voiced by the party regarding issues, especially relating to the country's Islamic status. The party also noted the efforts to address drug issues and gang violence and said the administration had taken significant steps to ensure the Maldives remained a peaceful country.
