Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed has indicated that he may not support President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the second round of the presidential election.
In Saturday's presidential election, MDP's candidate, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, secured second place with 39.05 percent of the votes, while his rival, the PPM-PNC candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, emerged as the leading candidate with 46.19 percent of the votes. As neither candidate garnered the required 50 percent majority for a single-round victory, a second round of voting has been confirmed, heightening the significance of forming alliances with other parties to secure victory. Nasheed's party, the Democrats, which garnered over 15,000 votes and placed third, is expected to play a pivotal role in determining the second round's outcome.
At Tuesday's Parliament session, as MPs debated the reconstitution of the Parliament's standing committees, Kaashidhoo MP Abdulla Jabir commented on the division within the MDP, which prompted the formation of The Democrats. He expressed the view that the primary issue lay in the MDP's internal split.
"The problem was the split of the MDP. There is no other problem. If we can glue it back together, we can move forward," Jabir stated.
Jabir called upon all MPs to engage in discussions and decide to elect President Solih. However, Nasheed interjected and said that it was not a possibility.
"Honorable Member, I must point out that it can no longer happen that way," Nasheed said.
President Nasheed had previously mentioned ongoing talks within the MDP regarding the formation of a coalition for the second round. Speaking to reporters after a meeting with the Indian Ambassador to the Maldives on Monday night, Nasheed confirmed that discussions were underway regarding the formation of a coalition with both candidates that advanced to the second round.
