Former President Mohamed Nasheed announced on Tuesday night that Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) will win all the 15 seats of capital Male' in the parliamentary elections scheduled for upcoming Saturday.
Speaking in the campaign rally held to garner support for MDP candidates gunning for Henveiru ward, Nasheed stated that Maldives will lose their independence with the loss of integrity of parliament.
Additionally, he declared that MDP aimed to provide a parliament with integrity for the people. According to Nasheed, the public did not wish to relive the acts seen formerly in parliament.
Highlighting the amount of wealth amassed by MPs who had nothing but a "pen cap" at the time of election, Nasheed stated that this was not what Maldivians wished to see from their parliament.
The MDP leader also accused former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom's government of selling the country to China in the name of development, calling out acts of corruption carried out during Yameen's administration in major projects.
"A hospital that could be built for USD 50 million was built for USD 200 million to gain undue enrichment. A bridge that could be constructed for USD 70 million was built for USD 200-300 million, subjecting us to debt", Nasheed alleged.
Moreover, Nasheed stated that Yameen's acts threatened the independence of the country.
"What President Ibrahim Solih is currently doing is reclaiming Maldives from the hands of China", he stated.
During former President Yameen's administration, the then-opposition factions, as well as many international bodies, expressed concern over the country's expanding relationship with China.
At the time, members of the current ruling coalition spoke of China's “debt trap” diplomacy, with many stating their belief that the biggest struggle faced by President Solih during his term would be paying back the debt incurred, back to the Chinese government.
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