Former president Mohamed Nasheed has stated that the government of president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih cannot be overthrown through the government, and can only be achieved through a coup.
Speaking at a campaign event of an MDP contestant in Addu City, Nasheed said it is common knowledge that there are individuals and parties who are well-versed in attempts to overthrow governments. It is believed he was hinting at those who caused his own downfall as a president of the Maldives in 2012.
While Nasheed has made such a statement, member of ruling coalition, Jumhooree Party leader and speaker of the parliament Gasim Ibrahim has teamed up with the opposing progressive coalition for the upcoming parliamentary election. Gasim was a key member in the protests conducted in 2012 against Nasheed's government, which subsequently caused him to step down as president. Nasheed and his party views the protests and all involved in it as part of a coup.
The current opposing Progressive Parry of Maldives (PPM) has previously announced that the party would be backing candidates from Jumhooree Party in the April elections, withdrawing some tickets awarded to its own members in favour of JP candidates.
Those who were previously involved in overthrowing the government is now attempting to weaken and fail the current government, and will first attempt to seek no confidence motions against cabinet ministers, forewarned Nasheed during Saturday's address. While the next step would be withholding the state budget allocated for various projects, this would sometimes be achieved through amending laws to conform to their tactics and failing to give the green light for the budget, said Nasheed.
According to Nasheed's timeline, this is the point at which independent institutions would lose their confidence in the government. This would eventually lead to the lack of trust in the government by the police and defence forces, and politically motivated verdicts would become common practice at courts of law.
After that, acts of bribery among the parliament would become widespread. If the citizens of the country allow the government to be weakened to allow this timeline, it is the citizens who would suffer its consequences, said Nasheed.
Nasheed ended his descriptive account of impending danger concluded with the statement that the downfall of the government would not stop Nasheed and President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih from continuing their lifestyle although the future of the country's people would be jeopardized.
