Deposed ruling party leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom is reportedly at odds with the rest of the opposition leaders over picking an interim candidate to stand against his half brother and incumbent president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom in the presidential elections next year.
Gayoom along with arch nemesis former president Mohamed Nasheed, Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim and religiously conservative Adhaalath Party leader Sheikh Imran Abdulla had united against president Yameen to "restore democracy".
Nasheed, Imran and Gasim all jailed on contentious charges while Gayoom ruled out due to the presidency age cap has forced the now united opposition to look at an interim candidate to challenge president Yameen's re-election hopes.
However, according to opposition sources, Gayoom has remained at odds with the rest of the opposition leaders over picking an interim candidate which was further fueled on Sunday after a senior opposition official said the former president wants to wait.
After chairing a sit-down with the opposition parliamentary group Gayoom had denied any discussions related to an interim candidate.
"Its too early for that. So we haven't discussed it at all. We're only discussing what needs to be done now," the official on condition of anonymity quoted Gayoom.
According to sources inside the opposition camp, Nasheed has been pushing for the other opposition leaders to get behind an interim candidate which he reportedly believes offers the best chance for the opposition to defeat president Yameen.
