MDP will stand united after the primary elections, Pres Solih assures

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said that he is not contesting against any particular candidate in the Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) presidential primary and that the party will continue as one after the elections.

The President is currently in Noonu Atoll Velidhoo to campaign for the MDP presidential primary which will be held on January 28.

Solih said that he was running in the primary not to go against or exclude anyone and that they will go forward with MDP as a united party.

The President said he wanted the party to continue on to the presidential election together, after the primary election.

"Therefore, I would like to ask our supporters to continue our campaign activities with the mindset that we all work together after the party primary," he said.

The President said while there is no reason to hold a primary within the party, the situation called for one. However, he said he would win the primary by a large margin and then the presidential election in one round.

"We will win the presidential election in one round by a large margin," the President said during his speech at Velidhoo last night.

Solih said that although the MDP is the largest political party, it should think about how it can win the presidential election based on past experiences. The 2012 fall of the MDP government and failing the 2013 presidential election and what followed after that should be remembered, he said.

"This party lost the presidential elections by a mere 6,000 votes. Do we go back to the injustice, fear and insecurity that we faced after that defeat?," The President asked.

Solih said that injustice would not be repeated if a government was formed with people of different ideologies. The people also believe this, he said.

The President, referring to coalition government said that in the future no one will be left out according to the people's wish.

He said the MDP's policy has always been to build the society and its people and this work is being carried out at the fastest pace by this government. Many development projects are still underway, he said.