President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Tuesday evening, October 3 said that he will actively work to maintain the presidential system if the parliament resolution moves for a referendum vote.
A referendum resolution was submitted earlier by The Democrats to the parliament, which was approved with Maldivian Democratic Party's (MDP) support, after which the Elections Commission (EC) was instructed to make arrangements for the voting on October 29.
MDP held a national council on Tuesday to make a formal decision about the party's stand regarding the resolution. At the council assembly, president Solih revealed his personal endorsement of the presidential system.
"I believe both systems have their pros and cons. But I believe presidential system is best suited for the Maldives, and with that it has my endorsement as well," president Solih, speaking as the senior-most leader of MDP said during the assembly.
"I would like to announce that I will officially start working to maintain presidential system if we proceed for a referendum," he said.
In addition to president Solih, the majority of the council's members shared similar sentiments.
Minister of foreign affairs Abdulla Shahid while speaking at the assembly, highlighted that MDP had been a responsible opposition since the beginning, and the attempts to intervene their opponent's presidential administration were against the party's principles.
Minister of housing Mohamed Aslam shared similar notions and said that obeying to the majority's sentiments was a crucial trait of a functioning democracy. Aslam said that he would not support overturning a decision made by the majority of the public.
MDP deputy chairperson Ibrahim Waheed, spoke against parliamentary system, and criticized both parliament speaker Mohamed Nasheed and the party he helped to found, The Democrats.
Waheed said that Nasheed and his supporters chanted for an alternative to president Solih, prompting MDP to respond in kind by rejecting the parliamentary system.
Sign In
