Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has said he has no interest in contesting The Democrat's presidential primary.
Nasheed said this in a press conference held following a meeting between Nasheed and the leaders of Jumhooree Party and the Maldives National Party (MNP), when asked by a reporter if he intended to contest The Democrat's presidential primary.
Several senior MPs of the main-ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) recently left the party to form their own party, The Democrats. While Nasheed himself left the MDP and joined The Democrats on July 13, there has been much speculation that Nasheed would be selected as The Democrat's presidential candidate, setting the stage for a contest against his former ally, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.
Meanwhile, The Democrats, Jumhooree Party, and the Maldives National Party have reached an agreement to put forth a common candidate instead of fielding separate candidates. This decision is contingent on the PPM-PNC coalition and the Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) forming an alliance with the three parties.
