Former president Mohamed Nasheed has stated the incumbent president Abdulla Yameen should receive equal and fair chances to run for presidency in the upcoming election.
In an exclusive interview to The Diplomat - a Japanese based news magazine focused on the politics, society and culture of the Asia-Pacific region - former president Nasheed said that the notion is split with regards to whether incumbent president should hold office or leave.
To a question directed to Nasheed regarding the aforementioned case, he replied "there are two views to this. One, President Yameen must go and then we should have an interim arrangement that takes us to the presidential elections. President Yameen is resisting that, probably because he is unclear on where he would land after he goes. Now my view is that he must be able to seek election, be part of the next elections. One lesson that we have learnt in the Maldives’ politics in the last 20 years is no one is irrelevant. Everyone is relevant.
The self-exiled former head of state had also challenged the current ruler saying he "absolutely would beat him [Yameen]" should he run for presidency in 2018.
While Nasheed has said that the current president should have the freedom of seeking election, the opposition front has other views to this. The multi-party opposition claims that they will constitutionally oust the current president before his term concludes.
They claim that opposition is currently attempting to pressure the government to implement February 1 order released by Supreme Court.
