Solih to Nasheed: No one person bigger than MDP
"The party will run even if I am not there. That is how it will operate," Solih said.
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By
Aishath Fareeha Abdulla
While Speaker Mohamed Nasheed, who quit the ruling MDP and founded his own party, has offered to rejoin the MDP, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said on Monday that having a particular person in the party is not important as MDP is bigger than any single person.
Nasheed offered to rejoin the MDP on Sunday if half of the MDP national council members agree. Nasheed's message to MDP chairperson Fayyaz Ismail on Sunday drew sharp reactions from several members of the party’s National Council.
Opposition PPM-PNC candidate Dr Mohamed Muizz, who advocates for stronger ties with China, defeated incumbent President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, known for his pro-India stance, in the second round of the presidential election held on Saturday, according to provisional results.
With all 584 ballot boxes now counted, Muizz leads the polls with 126,499 votes or 53,54%, while President Solih received 108,735 or 46.22% votes.
At the first press conference held after the presidential election, when asked by Atoll Times how the president views Nasheed rejoining the MDP, he said it does not matter to him whether a particular person is in the party or not.
"President Nasheed joining the party? It will be decided by the party. It does not matter to me whether a particular person is in the party or not. The party is much stronger than that," he said.
The MDP is a party that follows stronger principles, he said. The MDP is a party that follows stronger principles, he said.
"The party will run even if I am not there. That is how it will operate. There are rules in it. So, it is not important to necessarily try to bring a particular person to the party at the moment," he said.
The president said Nasheed had sent him a message to join the MDP and there would be a rule to be followed for members to join the party.
"It is not done with the support of a particular organ, or a certain amount of support. And when a person who wants to join the party fills out a form and sends it, it will proceed according to the rules within the party," he said.
After the defeat in the election, the MDP is working to hold a meeting of the national council on Tuesday to make important decisions regarding the future of the party.
