President-Elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu will be sworn in on November 11 if there is no legal obstacle to it, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said.
Speaking to reporters for the first time since the presidential election, President Solih, who faced defeat in his re-election bid, stated that the swearing-in ceremony should take place on November 11, in line with Maldivian tradition.
"I am working on it. If there is no legal obstacle, the date will be changed to November 11. I will continue to look into whether there is a legal obstacle," he said.
Historically, the President's inauguration has taken place on November 11. However, in 2013, the swearing-in ceremony was postponed to November 17 due to the necessity of holding the election three times. This legal change was prompted by a 2013 Supreme Court ruling and guidelines, resulting in the presidential term being counted from November 17. As a result, Former President Abdullah Yameen and incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took their oaths as Presidents on November 17.
Referring to the Constitution, President Solih said even if he were to resign as President, there are specific procedures outlined that others must follow. Failure to adhere to these procedures could present difficulties in having the President-Elect sworn in on November 11.on November 17.
"For example, if I resign, and the Vice President resigns, there is still going to the Speaker of Parliament. He, too, has to resign. If we were to process this legally, it is possible that we would not get there by going through these steps. So, I am looking for a legal solution to this. I, too, wish for November 11 to be the date on which the government changes," he said.
In the second round of the presidential election, President Solih received 108,500 votes. The rival PPM-PNC candidate, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, received 126,842 votes.
