The President of the People's National Congress (PNC) Abdul Raheem Abdulla has said that the coalition between the PNC and the main opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) will not follow any other political party in the upcoming presidential election.
During his speech at the opposition-led rally held at Henveiru artificial beach on Friday evening, July 14, Abdul Raheem reiterated that the presidential candidate for the PPM/PNC coalition will be former President Abdulla Yameen. He added that there should be no room for debate or uncertainty regarding the coalition's candidate. Abdul Raheem urged the supporters of the opposition to actively engage in campaign efforts.
Abdul Raheem called on supporters to stand united in their support for Abdulla Yameen and to hold the current administration accountable for alleged misconduct. He emphasized the need to address issues of corruption and graft consistently.
While Abdul Raheem and MP Adam Shareef made statements suggesting dialogue between The Democrats and PPM, it has been reported that PPM denied such claims after they were published by 'Ocean Daily,' an online media outlet associated with Speaker Mohamed Nasheed.
According to Ocean Daily, there were reports of discussions between the parties regarding the possibility of nominating a single candidate through a political alliance, rather than having Yameen or Nasheed as the sole contenders. Speaking on the matter, Nasheed also expressed his perspective on the matter, stating that it would be more beneficial to work together to defeat the current government, rather than focusing on individual candidacies.
After the reported discussions between PPM and The Democrats, PPM leader Yameen instructed the party to meet with Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim. Following this meeting, Qasim retracted his previous allegations against the leadership of PPM.
The former President Abdulla Yameen, who is the presidential candidate of the opposition coalition, is currently serving jail time for a criminal conviction. This renders him ineligible to run in the upcoming presidential elections. However, there is a possibility for him to contest the elections if he successfully secures an acquittal in his pending trial.
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