Pres says Maldives will transform by end of second term

If he gets a second term in office, he has nothing left to do for political gain and Maldives will be a different place by the end of that term, President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih said on Saturday.

Speaking at N. Maalheendhoo as the first destination of his visit to N. atoll campaign tour for the September 9 presidential election, President Solih said that there is nothing more to be done for political gain.

At a meeting held at the harbour area of the island, President Solih said that one term of his government has ended and there is no further level to climb in political affairs.

"There is no further level for me to climb in politics. There is nothing else I need for political gain," he said.

"In the next term, I will not do anything for political purposes. My aim will be to complete the works we have started and provide a happy and secure country for the people”.

The president said that by the end of the next term, Maldives will look “different” and the country will have developed. Then the people will live in peace, he said.

Praising his coalition partner, MDA President Ahmed Siyam Mohamed, who hails from the atoll, the president said Siyam is one of the most proficient people in the Maldives' tourism industry.

Siyam will play a huge role in the economic plan for the next term, he said.

“As economic policy is shaped in the coming term, the tourism sector will see unprecedented changes,” he said.

The president said he would announce another policy on Sunday evening. 

The president is visiting islands during his campaign tours and pledging what he will do for them given a second term. In similar fashion, the president made pledges in Maalhendhoo on Saturday. These include: