Malé City Mayor Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has filed a complaint with the Maldives Police Service, stating that he has received death threats.
The threats alleged that Dr. Muizzu was attempting to interfere with or change the decision made by Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) leader Abdulla Yameen on appointing a running mate.
Dr. Muizzu, said that threatening messages had been sent to his spouse from a number registered in Thailand.
The messages warned Dr. Muizzu against attempting to overturn Yameen's decision regarding the appointment of Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed as running mate. The messages further threatened that he would "face severe consequences" and be "branded a traitor" if he chose to go against Yameen's wishes.
The message also demanded that the mayor "respect the decisions and the system in place" and warned that his team's actions would not be tolerated. It further cautioned that he would face "wrath" if he challenges it.
Dr. Muizzu, who also serves as the Vice Leader of PPM, has been alleged to have attempted to influence the opposition coalition's senate.
Despite being considered among the frontrunners to replace former President Yameen in the presidential election from PPM, Dr. Muizzu has not made any official statements on the matter. However, rumors suggest that he may have the endorsement of several senate members within the party.
The threats against Dr. Muizzu have surfaced at a time when he had publicly asserted his loyalty and declared his commitment to remain faithful to former president Yameen.
After the threats against Dr. Muizzu came to light, PPM issued a statement on Wednesday, August 2, stating that it viewed the threats as an attempt to disrupt the party's leadership.
In response to the threats made against Dr. Muizzu, the party released a statement strongly condemning the acts of intimidation. In the statement, the party asserted its unwavering commitment to working in defense of former President Yameen and affirmed that they will not be hindered or intimidated by such tactics.
"Those who believe they can disrupt the coalition's leadership with such cheap and cowardly acts are delusional," the statement read.
Although PPM fielded Yameen as its presidential candidate, he has been deemed constitutionally ineligible to contend by the Elections Commission (EC). On Tuesday, July 31, the commission rejected Yameen’s candidacy form, citing Article 109 of the Maldives Constitution, which mandates that candidates should not have a criminal sentence longer than 12 months, and three years should have elapsed since their release or pardon.
After his candidacy was rejected, Yameen has not formally decided on an alternative candidate for the presidential election. While he had earlier announced Dr. Jameel as his running mate, no official replacement has been announced yet. Yameen had asked the People's National Congress (PNC), the coalition partner of PPM, to nominate a candidate. However, the party has given Yameen the discretion to choose the candidate for the upcoming election.
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