Solih confident of parliament majority win, vows to keep govt on track

Former President Ibrahim Mohammed Solih has said that Maldives Democratic Party (MDP) will win a majority in the upcoming parliamentary elections and that the party will work to keep the government on track.

He was speaking at a campaign rally in Hinnavaru on Saturday to seek support for the incumbent Jihan Mahmood, who is contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections from the MDP.

In his speech in his hometown, a majority of which has always supported the MDP, Solih said he had hope for the upcoming parliament and hoped to win a large majority in the parliament.

“And our first goal [after taking the parliamentary majority] is to put the government on the right track,” he assured.

In his speech, President Solih repeatedly accused President Mohammed Muizzu of misleading the people. Solih believes that what this government has been doing before and after coming to power is lying to the people and making empty promises. He said he doesn't see anything getting done.

“I beseech Dr. Muizzu not to lie. I call on this government not to deceive,” he said.

Instead of making lofty promises, he said, what needs to be done today is to provide basic services to the people. Without that there can be no development, he added.

"As a person who has ruled, I cannot stand blind today. The country is not going in the right direction," he said.

"We can see very clearly today the pit this country will fall into if we don't work hard together now”.

MDP Chairman Fayyaz Ismail has also said that the party will win the same number of seats as it won in the 2019 parliamentary elections.

"Confidence in the government has been lost in these last two months. We are seeing people worrying about it across the country," Fayyaz said.

With the decision not to contest four constituencies that are not expected to win, the MDP will contest 89 constituencies in the parliamentary elections. They are: