Witnessed the President work diligently: Qasim

Jumhooree Party leader and MP-elect for Maamigili constituency Qasim Ibrahim has stated that results of Sunday's parliamentary elections reveal citizens do not believe the allegations raised against President Dr Mohamed Muizzu by former president Yameen Abdul Gayyoom.

Qasim made the remarks in a post on "X" after the ruling People's National Congress (PNC) secured a comfortable supermajority following voting on Sunday for the 20th People's Majlis set to be sworn in next month. In the lengthy post, Qasim stated that the victory by President Dr Muizzu in the 2023 Presidential Elections and the 2024 Parliamentary Elections were the result of the hard work put in by the president and his team during a very difficult time.

MP-elect for the Maamigli constituency Qasim Ibrahim also made reference to the "empty seat," comments aimed at President Dr Muizzu by supporters of former president Yameen and his supporters. They allege that President Dr Muizzu was able to secure the presidency by marketing the vacant seat left at his side by Yameen as he served his prison sentence.

However, Qasim Ibrahim stated that while President Dr Muizzu had one a clear victory in the parliamentary elections as president of PNC, he had not seen a photo of Yameen or an empty seat at any campaign rally held by the president to secure support for Majlis.

"At the same time, the results of today's vote show that the people of Maldives do not accept the continuous accusations by the holder of the "empty seat" against President Dr Muizzu and his government," read Qasim's X post. He is one of dozens of PNC-backed candidates who were able to secure a victory in Sunday's election, effectively delivering a parliamentary supermajority to the ruling party.

MP-elect Qasim Ibrahim went on to note that no candidates fielded by former president Yameen had won seats in the parliamentary elections for the 20th People's Majlis.

The ruling party PNC had declined to field a candidate to the Maamigili constituency following MP-elect Qasim Ibrahim's decision to seek reelection in his constituency. Qasim stated that it was not something he had requested of the president, and that he would like to thank President Dr Muizzu for supporting his reelection.

"The people have given their highest support to President Muizzu in order to achieve a brighter future," read Qasim's X post.

"Therefore, my prayer for Dr Mohamed Muizzu is that Allah bless his government, keep him in good health, grant him a long life and good judgement, and adorn the Maldivian nation with his national service," shared Qasim in his post.

In the competitive parliamentary elections held on Sunday, President Dr Muizzu's ruling PNC were able to secure a supermajority in the 20th People's Majlis with 71 seats. The country's largest opposition, the Maldivan Democratic Party (MDP) were able to win only 12 seats.