No consultation on Indian troop presence, says Muizzu's Spokesperson in response to Nasheed's interview

Transitional Spokesperson Mohamed Firuzul has clarified President-elect Dr. Mohamed Muizzu's stance regarding the presence of Indian military personnel in the Maldives.

In a recent interview with India's leading newspaper, The Hindu, Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed suggested that the President-Elect might allow 75 Indian military personnel to remain in the Maldives.

Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Firuzul referred to Nasheed's interview and said NaAsheed's statement had no truth to it. He emphasized that there had been no prior consultation on this matter between Nasheed and Dr. Muizzu and expressed his regret that Nasheed had made such a false statement.

"Not even only India, no foreign troops of any country can stay in the Maldives," he said.

Responding to a journalist's query about the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)'s ongoing efforts to remove Nasheed from the position of Speaker of the Parliament, Firuzul expressed his lack of concern regarding a potential no-confidence vote against Nasheed. He said he hoped that such a vote would not disrupt the arrangements for President-Elect Muizzu's swearing-in ceremony.

Firzul added that he did not want to comment directly on the issue as it is MDP that is working to remove President Nasheed from office.