Male' Mayor Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, the presidential candidate of the main opposition PPM-PNC coalition, has reaffirmed his commitment to secure the release of imprisoned opposition leader Abdulla Yameen if he wins the presidential election.
At his first meeting with the PPM-PNC campaign team at the PPM office on Monday night, Muizzu said the release of President Yameen was what the opposition supporters have been working towards tirelessly in recent days. Therefore, he assured that he would start the work of releasing President Yameen as soon as he came to power.
“The first thing I will say when I speak at podiums is to call on the incumbent president to bring him [Yameen] home immediately,” Muizzu said.
President Yameen was initially granted the PPM-ONC coalition's presidential candidate. However, he was sentenced to 11 years in prison in December last year over a money laundering and bribery conviction. Despite this setback, Yameen filed his candidacy form at the Election Commission, which was rejected by the commission. The decision was challenged at the Supreme Court, and the court upheld the EC decision.
Meanwhile, in preparation for a potential scenario where Yameen is barred from contesting the presidential election, PNC had proactively elected Muizzu as an alternate presidential candidate under the PNC banner. There were earlier disagreements between PNC and PPM, with PPM asserting that Muizzu was Plan C for the party and that their preferred Plan A was Yameen, while an alternative candidate from PPM was Plan B. However, the PPM has now endorsed Muizzu's candidacy.
Muizzu will contest the presidential election with Fares Mathoda MP Hussain Mohamed Latheef as his running mate. His candidacy form was accepted by the Elections Commission on Monday.
