Former President and Chairperson of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), Mohamed Nasheed, has said that it is inappropriate for an individual holding the position of party chairperson to contest in the party's presidential primary.
Nasheed made these remarks while responding to a journalist's question during a press conference held at the MDP office yesterday.
"Regarding whether a chairperson can contest for the MDP presidential ticket—it is not advisable for someone serving as chairperson to do so. I do not believe it is the right approach for a person to lead the party as chairperson while running for the presidential election," Nasheed said.
"What I am saying is that it is not ideal for the sitting chairperson to compete for the presidential ticket."
Nasheed also dismissed rumors of a rift between himself and former Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail, who resigned from the party's chairperson position and has announced his intention to contest the presidential primary.
"My relationship with Fayyaz is very good. I was out of the island for a week, so we didn't meet during that time. I met Fayyaz yesterday. I don't see our relationship as being strained at all, and there is no reason for it to be," Nasheed said.
To date, Fayyaz is the only individual to have officially announced his candidacy for the MDP presidential primary. Nasheed has previously expressed his support for him.
