Jumhooree Party (JP) leader Qasim Ibrahim urges people to vote for the Jumhooree Party to "test a new ideology", citing that Maldives has already experienced the governance of the two major political parties.
During the official handover ceremony of JP's presidential ticket for the 2023 elections, Qasim Ibrahim emphasized that the citizens have already experienced governments led by Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), making JP the next major party that remains "untested".
"All of you have experienced governments led by PPM and MDP. The only political ideology that has not yet been tested is Jumhoory Party, which played an instrumental role in bringing these governments to power since 2008. This ideology was pioneered by the same individuals who are responsible for creating the Maldives Constitution, the governance system, and the judicial authorities of the state bodies," Qasim said.
Despite being a part of the ruling coalition, JP has chosen to participate in the upcoming presidential elections independently. However, incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, who is the presidential candidate for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), had engaged in discussions with JP's leader Qasim Ibrahim to explore the possibility of forming a coalition once again.
These discussions fell through however, when JP held separate discussions with Parliament Speaker Mohamed Nasheed and former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom to explore potential new alliances for the elections.
At Friday evening’s ceremony, Qasim had criticized the conduct of both PPM and MDP in their respective quests for power.
According to Qasim, JP has consistently prioritized the best interests of the people when forming coalitions, rather than pursuing its own political motives. However, he criticized the ruling parties, highlighting that once in power, they have tended to prioritize their own interests over the welfare of the public.
Qasim said that he does not wish to delve into specific misconduct of past governments or discuss the abuse of power and misuse of state funds as bringing up these issues would only lead to further disputes and conflicts.
Qasim highlighted that the Jumhooree Party has consistently honored the coalition agreements it made with ruling parties in the past and his decision not to delve into the misconduct of those parties is a sign of respect for the agreements made. However, he acknowledged that the outcomes of the respective governments are evident and visible to the public.
"They have all come to power through a coalition, but the role of the coalition diminishes once they assume power," said Qasim.
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