Yameen pledges no political demands if Zariyand elected mayor

Former president Abdulla Yameen on Friday said that if Ismail Zariyand is elected Mayor of Malé, he would not seek any personal consideration from him, stating that his only expectation would be actions taken in the interest of the public.

Zariyand is contesting the 4 April local council elections as an independent candidate. His candidacy has been endorsed by Yameen and the People’s National Front (PNF). Zariyand announced his bid at a PNF event.

Speaking at a campaign event for Zariyand in Hulhumalé on Friday evening, Yameen said he has taken political decisions based on circumstances and what he considered to be in the national interest.

He cited his past support for former president Mohamed Nasheed during a Malé parliamentary election, despite his brother and former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom also being active in politics at the time. Yameen said he believed Parliament should include voices advocating reform without government influence.

“I wanted someone to speak about reform in Parliament,” Yameen said, adding that such participation helped assess the functioning of democratic processes.

He said he no longer supports Nasheed’s political positions and criticised the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), alleging repeated attempts to dispose of state assets.

Yameen said his current support for Zariyand was similarly based on what he described as national interest. He said Malé is a city that concerns all citizens of the Maldives and criticised past city administrations, alleging that land had been allocated at low prices to selected individuals.

He said issues within the Malé City Council require scrutiny and that Zariyand, whom he described as not aligned with any current political leader, was suited to address such matters.

“Zariyand is not part of my political party and does not have close political ties with me. I supported him based on national interest,” Yameen said.

Yameen said that if a mayor from the ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) were elected, the office would function according to directives from President Mohamed Muizzu. He also referred to the tenure of current mayor Adam Azim, alleging that council operations had been affected by political considerations.

He said Zariyand would not be required to answer to any political leader if elected mayor.

“I am saying again that I will not ask Zariyand for anything other than to work for the benefit of the people,” Yameen said.