President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih on Monday explained the reasons for choosing Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) parliamentary group leader Mohamed Aslam as his running mate.
The president told Adhadhu’s ‘Etherefuh’ program that Aslam was one of the most experienced politicians in the country at present. He also noted Aslam’s support among the public and similarities in personality.
“Aslam is one of the most politically experienced people in the country at the moment. He has a voter base. He is someone who can work with the people. Aslam has nearly the same attitude has me.”
Aslam is not quick to anger and favors dialogue, which was most evident in the decisions made as parliamentary group (PG) leader, Solih said on their similar characters.
If Aslam is assigned a task, he would only make a decision after careful consideration and consulting the PG members, the president said, praising his work as majority leader.
Solih said picking a running mate was a difficult decision. Aslam was chosen after Vice President Faisal Naseem expressed an interest in retaining the role.
The reason for choosing Aslam over Faisal was the preference for an MDP running mate, Solih said.
“We’re trying to come to power. I considered that an MDP pair should try to come to power. So far we’ve always had to find a running mate from some other party.”
In the interview, the president praised VP Faisal Naseem as a hard working and trustworthy partner.
