I Would Devolve Power From Presidency: Anni

Mohamed Nasheed (Anni), former chairperson of the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party, has said he will devolve power to his party if he is elected president of the Maldives later this year.Speaking to Minivan News, Anni said that "it is not a president you are electing, it is a party", adding that the party should decide policy and be able to control the leadership.Party PowerAlong with party president Dr Mohamed Munnavar and parliamentarian Reeko Moosa Manik, Anni has declared himself a contender in the race to become the MDP candidate.With nominations open to all members until March 3rd, candidates have yet to formally launch their campaigns or state their key messages.But Anni said on Wednesday he would stress to potential voters his guarantee of party predominance.Saying that government should be in the hands of the parliament, rather than the other way around, he explained that "party apparatus" should dictate party policies.In a referendum last August Maldivians voted for a presidential system of rule, although the the MDP allege the election was rigged.

The voter list was said to have contained more than 10,000 dead people.And opponent Hassan Saeed, an independent candidate associated with the unregistered New Maldives movement, has previously said "parties are less important in a presidential system."However Anni contends that as president he would be a "marginal figurehead" or "president who is not a president", choosing to diffuse his powers, and would anchor the party in a firm position if he was elected.AllianceAnother major priority for Anni's campaign will be the National Unity Alliance, he added.Encompassing the MDP, Islamic Democratic Party, New Maldives Movement and Adhaalaath party, the Alliance was initially created to campaign for an interim government, but has now mooted the idea of a joint presidential candidate.Yet according to Anni, other MDP candidates would "destroy the alliance" because they would want to stand themselves instead of accepting a united decision by alliance leaders.

Despite fractures, leaders of the Alliance groups are still confident a joint candidate can be agreed, with spokesperson Dr Ahmed Shaheed reportedly saying recently that "the whole is bigger than the parts." MDP secretary general Hamid Abdul Ghafoor has previously said that MDP is having "informal talks" with other National Unity Alliance of opposition groups, to arrive at a "mechanism" for producing a joint candidate.Anni toured Addu atoll this week – the home atoll of his opponent Dr Munnavar - to garner support in the south.The MDP presidential primary elections will take place on 25 April.