No Democrats proposal on system change referendum, says pres

The Democrats have not yet proposed to the MDP to agree on a public referendum on changing the country's governance system from presidential to a parliamentary system, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said Tuesday.

The president briefly answered questions from journalists on the second round of the presidential election before boarding his car to return home after concluding his meeting with MDP campaigners at a party camp on Chaandhanee Magu Tuesday evening. 

Asked if the Democrats had proposed to change the system of government, the president said there was no such proposal.

"We haven't received it yet," the president said very briefly.

Some Democrats are speaking out in favour of working with a presidential candidate who agrees to change the system of government. The party has also moved a motion in parliament on Tuesday seeking a public referendum on the change of government.

Speaking to a crowd of supporters, the president said the MDP was open to other parties to talk about forming a coalition.

"We are just open, you know? More than that, our focus is to re-prepare for the campaign and work to win the election," he said.

With the excitement of Tuesday's rally, the President said he would win the election.

"We have strategies to win. Tonight's scene has given us hope," he said.

"Hopefully, there is absolute certainty [of winning the election]."

The Democrats held a meeting of the party's interim council Tuesday afternoon and many members called for not forming a coalition with the MDP.

Main opposition PPM-PNC, which won the most votes in Saturday's presidential election, and Democrats, which came third, suspended their talks over forming a coalition for the run-off after the PPM-PNC could not agree to "impossible" demands by speaker Mohamed Nasheed and his aides at the Democrats. The demands included a public referendum on the governance system change. 

When asked how confident he was that the Democrats would form a coalition with the PPM-PNC, their presidential candidate Dr Mohamed Muizz repeatedly said that he was starting a national campaign and that all those who wanted to participate in the journey would be invited.

"The ball is in their court," Muizz said when the question was repeated again.