Opposition Leader and Former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom will win the upcoming presidential election in the first round, President of People's National Congress, Abdul Raheem Abdulla has said.
Abdul Raheem made the statement via a tweet posted on Monday, following the acceptance of the Progressive Congress Coalition's presidential ticket by President Yameen. Abdul Raheem said the Maldives would see an independent, sovereign, and 100 percent Islamic rule under Yameen's leadership and that the country would be a prosperous and flourishing country. He said Yameen would win the election in a single round.
President Yameen announced his acceptance of the presidential ticket at a council meeting held by the PPM and People's National Congress (PNC) coalition on Sunday evening.
After the meeting, PNC's President Abdul Raheem Abdulla congratulated Yameen and said the Progressive Congress Coalition decided to present the presidential ticket to President Yameen for the 2023 election, and he had accepted it.
PPM and PNC's Spokesperson Heena Waleed said a special ceremony will be held soon to hand over the 2023 presidential ticket to President Yameen officially.
President Yameen became eligible to contest the presidential election when the Supreme Court acquitted him of his money laundering conviction. However, two cases are still pending against him in the lower court. If convicted of any of the charges, he will lose his opportunity to contest the election. However, the opposition is confident that Yameen would not lose his chance to contest the election.
President of PNC Abdul Raheem Abdulla
