President Solih should run for president without contesting in party primaries: MP Rasheed

Speaker Nasheed and President Solih on Rahvehifathis campaign trail | Photo: MDP

Malé, Maldives – MP for Fuvahmulah Constituency North Mohamed Rasheed (Dhonbe Rasheed) said on Saturday that incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih must get the MDP presidential ticket without any primaries for the 2023 presidential election.

Referring to the way Covid-19 pandemic was handled by the incumbent administration, the parliamentarian stated that President Solih must get the ruling party MDP ticket with no conditions.

The Fuvahmulah City MP also said that he supports a presidential system of governance.

MP Rasheed has said this while MDP remains split into two factions, with one supporting the former President and current Speaker Mohamed Nasheed and incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih. While the two Presidents have worked together in the past, the factions have resurfaced with the MDP internal elections.

Additionally, Speaker Nasheed has on multiple occasions pushed to convert the current presidential system to a parliamentary system. Nasheed has signed a petition of over 109,000 signatures previously, urging President Solih to convert the governance system to parliamentary. President Solih has not taken any action regarding the matter.