Malé, Maldives – MDP MP Ibrahim Shareef (Mavota) has stated that creating a coalition that grants 25 percent of the government to Maldives Reform Movement (MRM) would be pointless.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih extended an invitation to MRM leader Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to renew the coalition with him in the upcoming presidential elections.
However, Gayoom has not responded to the invitation sent to his party to form a coalition with President Solih.
MP Shareef’s tweet comes following President Solih’s meeting with former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom at the President’s Office yesterday.
MP Shareef tweeted that if the MRM wishes to collaborate, it must acknowledge that they cannot acquire 25 percent of the government.
He also commented that the MRM is comparatively smaller than the Adhaalath Party which has decided to form a coalition with President Solih and at times struggles to meet the legal requirement of having 3,000 members.
According to MP Shareef, the MRM’s claim of providing certainty seems unfeasible as they no longer possess the same level of influence they had in 2018 when they formed a coalition with 25 percent of the government. A decision needs to be made promptly on whether to form a coalition or not as there is no room for delay, he said.
Shareef suggested that there is no obligation for MRM to extend the discussions regarding coalition formation.
He stated that if MRM is not interested in forming a coalition with the MDP, they are free to withdraw from the process.
As a next step, the President and Maumoon have decided to create teams representing both parties to resume the discussions.
However, President Solih and Maumoon decided to form teams from the two sides to continue the talks on forming a coalition after yesterdays meeting between the two.
The ruling coalition party, Adhaalath Party, has decided to form a coalition with President Solih as the presidential election approaches. Meanwhile, Ahmed Siam Mohammed’s Maldives Development Alliance (MDA) has also decided to form a coalition with President Solih.
However, Jumhoory Party, which is already in the government coalition, has decided to contest the presidential election separately. Their leader, Qasim Ibrahim, is unlikely to follow President Solih.
The upcoming presidential election in the Maldives has generated a lot of interest, with various political parties vying for power.
