Former president and newly elected MP for Macchangolhi central constituency, Mohamed Nasheed has stated that the country's government system would not be changed without President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih's approval.
Since President Nasheed first announced his candidacy for the parliamentary polls, it was rumored that Nasheed would attempt to change the government system of the Maldives from a presidential to a parliamentary system. Nasheed has always been vocal in his support for a parliamentarian government system for the Maldives.
The current presidential government system was chosen by the people of Maldives through a vote, while MDP advocated for a parliamentary system even then.
In a special interview given to PSM News on Monday, Nasheed said he believes the parliamentary system is the best form of government, and the most suitable system for the Maldives, and confirmed that MDP's philosophy on the topic is in line with his opinion.
However, if any talks of changing the government system is to take place at the moment, it has to be initiated by the President himself, said Nasheed.
"We do not want to approach such a decision in a way that could cause distress to the President. We are currently the main ruling party, the president is a member of MDP, [most] of the parliament is MDP. We face no issues a the moment due to it [the current government system]", said Nasheed.
When asked if he was interested on being the Prime Minister, Nasheed did not give a direct answer, stating that he would continue to work in the political field.
Nasheed stressed that it is not a pressing issue at the time being to change the government system, and and the highest priority at the moment is to fulfill the desires and needs of the people. Nasheed emphasized the importance of giving president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih the opportunity to fulfill his pledges.
"However, I am still of the opinion that the parliamentary system would be most suitable for Maldives. We can only introduce the system to the county by first having discussions among the different branches of our party, our congress and other bodies. It then has to be approved by the parliament through a referendum. This is a very long process. We will not any initiate any of these steps without the full permission, support and backing of the president", said Nasheed.
Speaking on their age-old friendship, President Nasheed said President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is well aware of what Nasheed wants without him having to state it. Nasheed said the biggest mistake made by the opposition during the parliamentary election was underestimating the strength of their friendship and trying to pit Nasheed and President Solih against each other. However, their friendship would not allow any conflicts to arise between them, declared Nasheed.
