Primary will decide if MDP can continue development path: Pres

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said on Saturday that the upcoming MDP presidential primary will be bigger and more important than expected and it will be decided whether MDP will go on the path of development or end up on the road again.

President Solih has arrived in Hithadhoo and Maradhoo as part of his campaign for the MDP presidential primary.

President Solih, who arrived at the Campaign Office of Maradhoo MDP this Saturday evening, addressed supporters and said that the public may have believed that the upcoming primaries will be held solely from within the party to elect a presidential candidate. He, however, said it was more important for the party.

"The decision has been taken to ensure that the party wins this year's presidential election. To be elected to power, to keep MDP in power once again," he said, highlighting the importance of the primary.

"All thoughts should be on winning the presidential election. Today's decision will have an impact on that."

President Solih reiterated that the only way MDP can win the presidential election is to elect president Solih as the presidential candidate. 

President Solih's intention is that if he is elected in the primaries, he will contest the presidential election as the current government's coalition. Although MDP is the single largest party, President Solih said that the party alone does not have the strength to win a presidential election.

"Winning the presidential election can only be achieved with the support of MDP, and others who will support MDP," he said.

Noting that the election could end with 48%, and that the same figure had already been achieved in the past, President Solih said that MDP lost the 2013 presidential election due to the lack of people to form a coalition.

"The fear and insecurity that we had to live with from 2013 to 2018 will not go away from our hearts even today. There are many people in Addu and Maradhoo who have endured that difficult time, the torture," president Solih said.

"We have to decide once again whether we will lose after this election and go back to the streets or go ahead with the development projects that we have started."

At the Maradhoo campaign office, President Solih also said that there was no doubt that he would win the primary. However, at the end of the speech, the president asked for something from MDP supporters of Maradhoo;

"I want the campaign to be carried out more expeditiously in the city from today."