Nasheed's faction floats MDP running mate idea

MDP president Mohamed Nasheed's faction has put forward a proposal to contest the upcoming presidential elections as the running mate of another party's presidential candidate, with Nasheed also coming out in support of the idea.

Henveiru West MP Hassan Latheef, who led Nasheed's team that lost in MDP’s presidential primaries, expressed the opinion during a debate in the parliament on Tuesday. Hassan Latheef's remarks came in the wake of statements made by Henveiru South MP Hussain Shaheem (Andhun Hussain) during Tuesday’s session, accusing MDP president Mohamed Nasheed of trying to give power to Jumhooree Party when there was a presidential candidate for MDP.

Nasheed, who was in the chair at the time, responded to the allegations made by Hussain Shaheem, who belongs to the faction of senior party leader President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, but he did not deny the allegation.

Hussain Shaheem says it is wrong that Nasheed, being party president, should try to convince MDP that it is best for the party to give power to Jumhooree Party's presidential candidate.

"Speaker Nasheed feels that it is best for MDP to back another party’s presidential candidate while he is president of MDP, and that it is okay for MDP members to end up on the streets, jobless," said Hussan Shaheem.

Responding to Hussain Shaheem's statement, Nasheed said that MDP got only 40% in the current government.

"If the party gets more than that, it can be considered a good thing for the party," he said, adding that he does not deny Hussain Shaheem's claim and feels it is better to support another party's presidential candidate.

Hassan Latheef, who spoke after Hussain Shaheem, also spoke in a way that gave credence to the allegations.

"What if a member of another party is a candidate for the president's post, with a running mate of MDP and a MDP government is formed and we can have a government that shares with us, we can have a government that can discuss and advise us and serve the people best," said Hassan Latheef, who is also a former chairperson of MDP.

Hassan Latheef's story was based on Nasheed's belief that there was a need to find a way out other than President Solih. He believes that MDP will lose power by president Solih contesting the presidential election.

"We have chosen a candidate from the primaries. On the other hand, what the candidate we chose said [or] referred to as the strongest point of note by the candidate was that only he can form a coalition led government. But today, we don't see where the coalition has formed," said Hassan Latheef, who did not name President Solih, but nonetheless addressed him.

Hassan Latheef said that he feared MDP losing power by contesting the presidential election with a "small party like the MDA" that had agreed to form an alliance with President Solih.

"I imagine this as saying that if the alliance is not formed, the party will not be able to come to the government. However, even leaving behind what we have to leave with other parties, it is more important to have a government of MDP, which has more than 40% than the current government, and form a government that can uphold the policies and values of the party, rather than having a president in name only," he said.

"At the same time, I believe that MDP cannot progress unless we run the country in a way that upholds our values and policies. There is no progress for the people of the country either."

Hasan Latheef added: