Parliament Speaker and president of the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Mohamed Nasheed, has said he cannot back President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the upcoming 2023 Presidential Election.
Nasheed made the remark in a WhatsApp group of MDP National Assembly members.
In his message, Nasheed said the MDP has a chance of losing the election if it wants to move forward with President Solih as its presidential candidate.
"If President Solih is the candidate, the MDP is very likely to lose [the election]. Please ponder on this. The party and the Maldives should be the priority. It is not good to just follow someone... This time, I cannot support President Solih," Nasheed said.
President Nasheed has already said that he cannot support President Solih, but frequently changes his mind. He does not maintain the same stand on the matter.
Nasheed's comments come while Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid has announced that he would back President Solih as MDP's presidential candidate. While MDP is preparing to conduct its presidential primary early next year, Nasheed has hinted on several occasions that would contest the election.
According to President Solih, he is the only"choice" for the MDP if it wants to win the upcoming presidential election.
