Chief Spokesperson of the President’s Office Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), has said the decision by three former presidents to work together is aimed at securing the opposition ticket to contest against President Dr Mohamed Muizzu in the 2028 Presidential election.

Speaking at his weekly press briefing, Mundhu said former Presidents Mohamed Nasheed, Abdulla Yameen and Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, along with other political figures who had been largely absent from the political scene in recent years, had re-emerged with a coordinated political agenda.

“When you say the three will work together, I think these three are there, and not just these three. Some other ambitious aspiring politicians, including those who have not been seen or heard from for the past two years, have suddenly come out speaking,” he said.

“I understand that they are trying to get tickets to contest against our President in 2028 when he hopefully runs for a second term.”

Mundhu also questioned the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), suggesting uncertainty within the party over its presidential candidate for the next election.

The remarks come after the three former Presidents announced cooperation in response to the imprisonment of two journalists for contempt of court, with Nasheed, Yameen and Solih criticizing the court’s decision.

“When you say working together, people have to think a little bit about how close the three were. Each arrested the other. Each had been a ‘main rival’ of the other,” he said.

He also pointed to their past administrations, saying voters had not granted any of them a second term in office.