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Election will not be allowed without Yameen's ballot: Abdul Raheem

Lamya Abdulla
31 December 2022, MVT 16:21
Supporters joining the rally held by opposition on Friday, December 30, 2022, calling to free President Yameen -- Photo: PPM
Lamya Abdulla
31 December 2022, MVT 16:21

Vice President of People's National Congress (PNC) Abdul Raheem Abdulla has said that he will not allow next year's presidential elections to be held without the name of opposition leader and former President Abdulla Yameen, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison on Sunday in connection to the MMPRC scandal.

Massive marches were held in Malé city and other parts of the country on Friday demanding Yameen's release.

Opposition leaders held up a banner that read "Revoke the 'Haram' Verdict, Release President Yameen," in Dhivehi, as they started the march in front of the People's Progressive Party's (PPM) office in Malé city yesterday evening.

Malé City Mayor Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, Abdul Raheem, and other high ranking officials within the opposition had joined this march.

The opposition marchers, carrying both the Maldivian flag and the party flags, were wearing black -shirts which had "Free Yameen" written on it. The march, which was attended by a large number of supporters, was held in the city with police permission.

Speaking to the participants, Abdul Raheem said that the support for Yameen is very clear from today's march and both Yameen and India would now know this.

He claimed that Yameen was sentenced to jail so as to not allow him to participate in the 2023 presidential elections. However, Abdul Raheem said that Maldivians are not allowed to let this go and will not be allow the election to proceed without Yameen's name on the ballot.

He said the government had come to seek justice, but all it does is torture Yameen. He recalled that Yameen had been arrested around the 2019 parliamentary elections as well and had kept him detained as they feared he would destroy evidence.

Abdul Raheem also referred to the five year jail sentence he had previously been sentenced to as haram as well. He was two years later released by the Supreme Court.

According to Abdul Raheem, regardless of the atrocities committed by the government against Yameen, he re-entered politics after he was released from jail in defence of the country's independence.Haram means forbidden or denounced by the Islamic Law.

He said the government's actions against Yameen cannot be forgiven.

"They cannot cheat us this way. The people will decide in the Presidential Elections," he said.

Abdul Raheem says all these atrocities will result in Yameen winning the upcoming presidential election.

Since Yameen was sentenced to jail, the opposition PPM has been holding a series of protests every day. The PPM and PNC senates have approved all possible efforts to free Yameen and elect him as the president of the Maldives.

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