Malé, Maldives – There is no relationship with President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih now and he has not been in touch for a year, former President and Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed said today.
Nasheed, who is contesting the presidential primary in the MDP on Saturday, told a news conference at his campaign office that the President Solih called him only once while he was in Germany for treatment after the May 6, 2021 assassination attempt on him and then in the UK while he was in recovery.
Nasheed said the President stopped consulting him on various government issues because those close to him felt that if the two discussed, the President’s ”shine” would be hindered.
He said the relationship between the two presidents had deteriorated but there was no difficulty in official works of the parliament.
Saturday’s primary is the party’s most competitive presidential primary ever. Both Speaker Nasheed and President Solih have said that they will win the primary.
If the primary is not won, the President Solih has said he will work behind Nasheed. But, Speaker Nasheed did not respond to repeated questions from reporters today about what he would do if he lost the primary.
The President and Nasheed have been very close friends for many years. The President is also married to a close relative of Nasheed. However, Nasheed has been critical of the government’s policies since President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih took office.
