Ministers pledge support to President Muizzu amid party rifts

Ministers and top officials of PPM-PNC on Friday pledged their support to President Mohamed Muizzu amid internal rifts within the ruling coalition just a week into its government. 

Former president and PPM-PNC leader Abdulla Yameen, who quit PPM on Thursday, will seek Elections Commission's (EC) permission on Sunday to form his new party, his representatives said Friday.

Yameen has left the PPM and will form a new party, his top lawyer Dr Mohamed Jameel Ahmed said on Thursday.

Following Yameen's resignation, many senior PPM-PNC leaders have come out in support of President Muizzu on social media. They include some who have held positions in this government. Muizzu's supporters are also using the hashtag "#IStandWithMuizzu" on social media.

Especially Thursday and Friday, many of the cabinet members are praising the president and posting on X. Several cabinet ministers have posted in defence of Muizzu at the same time.

Abdul Raheem Abdullah, who is in charge of running the coalition in Yameen's absence and was appointed as President Muizzu's advisor, said the PPM-PNC coalition would remain with President Muizzu in accordance with the people's decision at the polls. He said it was the best way for the people, and the country would be "much bigger" than anyone else.

"We will move forward without looking back. Dear people of Maldives, standing with President Dr Muizzu is the best way for the country and the people. This country is bigger than any of us," he said.

Abdul Raheem's son and tourism minister Ibrahim Faisal defended President Muizzu and said it was important to be with the government for the sake of peace and prosperity in the country.

Defence minister and Yameen’s nephew, Ghassan Maumoon, also came out in defence of President Muizzu. 

"The PPM is with President Dr. Muizzu. We are joining hands in the defence of President Muizzu's government. I urge all the people who want the best for the country to move forward with President Muizzu," he said.

Foreign minister Moosa Zameer, who had served as the tourism minister in the Yameen government, also said it was important to be with President Muizzu as the nation is bigger than any one or any particular group of people.

“We will continue to work with the PPM-PNC in good faith and implement the policies proposed by President Dr Muizzu,” Zameer said.

Construction and Infrastructure Minister Dr Abdullah Mutthalib praised the president in his post on X, saying that President Muizzu is actively working to fulfil his promises and that he knows the country's affairs and will try to solve the problems faced the people swiftly.

Dr Mohamed Shaheem Ali Saeed, the Islamic minister of this government and Yameen's running mate in the 2018 presidential election, said he would do whatever it takes to protect this government as he worked to bring it about.

"This is a government that the people have worked very hard to establish,” Shaheem said.

In an interview with Channel-13 on Thursday evening, Jameel said that Yameen decided to leave the PPM because the party leaders did not want him to run the party activities and they no longer needed his consultation and advice. Jameel said Yameen would shape his political work by forming a new party.

"He did everything he could to change the government of President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as the people wished for. But today the party leadership's mindset is different from his. They have moved away from him," Jameel said.

He said that after achieving things through many challenges, being “unjustly” imprisoned for many days and making many sacrifices, “this is not an easy decision for President Yameen at all”.

After President Dr Mohamed Muizzu won September's presidential election, PPM leadership has distanced from Yameen and stopped consulting him, Jameel said, giving examples: 

Certain factions within PPM-PNC were trying to achieve particular results, and once they achieved those results, they had stopped even responding to Yameen's calls, Jameel alleged. They should instead respect Yameen, he added.

“The PPM has now been hijacked by certain people,” he said.

The PPM leadership does not want to take Yameen's advice and the party is not in a position to win the parliamentary elections, Jameel said.

Therefore, Yameen will form a new party to "save the country" and many people have asked him to do so, he said.

“The party that is being formed in Yameen's vision will win the parliamentary elections and the 2028 presidential election,” Jameel said.

The announcement comes hours after PPM expelled former minister Mohamed Maleeh Jamal from the party for leading what he claimed to be a steering committee formed by Yameen to run the party.

Maleeh was suspended pending a disciplinary enquiry into his actions following his announcement of the steering committee.

The PPM's disciplinary committee on Thursday decided to expel Maleeh after the enquiry, it said in a letter sent to Maleeh.

An emergency press conference was held at the PPM office on Tuesday evening. The press conference was led by former technology minister Maleeh. He was accompanied by former customs commissioner Abbas Adil Riza.

They said a 13-member steering committee was formed under the powers of former president Abdullah Yameen, who had served as the party's president.

However, since Yameen is serving a prison sentence, he had no legal status in running the party.