Democrats says will back joint candidate 'if situation arises'

Main opposition PPM-PNC coalition and The Democrats, a new party being formed by former MDP president Mohamed Nasheed will contest the upcoming presidential election separately, but will support a joint candidate if the situation arises, The Democrats said on Sunday.

The Democrats and the opposition PPM/PNC have formed an alliance to end the government of President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih.

A series of meetings are currently being held between the two parties to discuss ways to work together. After the third meeting held at the Ocean Library on Sunday, the two parties met with reporters.

When asked by Atoll Times at the press conference whether there would be any possibility of the two parties fielding a single candidate, former STO managing director Hussain Amr who represented The Democrats said that if the situation arose, The Democrats would support such a candidate.

"I'm saying very clearly, there will be a Democrats candidate. But if there is a common candidate who will work together to defeat President Solih, the Democrats will support that candidate," he said.

When asked whether The Democrats would support the PPM/PNC candidate, former President Abdulla Yameen, Amr did not answer directly. The Democrats have not yet determined who will be their candidate, he said, adding that the work being done at the moment is to remove President Solih from power.

PNC Vice-President and Hulhumale councillor Ibrahim Shujau who represented the PPM-PNC coalition at the press conference said that the issue of nominating a single candidate has not been discussed in the meetings held so far. He also said that "discussions are underway to find ways to overthrow President Solih”.

However, he said that Yameen has always been the PPM candidate and that will not change.

Ocean Weekly, a weekly newspaper run by Nasheed's Ocean Publishing, published an article on Friday indicating that both parties will field a joint candidate who is neither Nasheed nor Yameen.