Mohamed Nasheed (Anni), presidential candidate for the largest opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), on Wednesday publicly said he was seeking to become the running mate of independent candidate Dr Hassan Saeed, who is running under the New Maldives banner.
Ahead of the MDP’s National Council meeting scheduled for Thursday night, Anni said that he believed Saeed “should be the candidate” for the National Unity Alliance of five opposition groups, and added: “We hope [the] Adhaalath [party] will support this combination.”
The pair have long been rumoured to be seeking a joint campaign. But on 29 April the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) proposed finance minister Gasim Ibrahim as a potential Alliance candidate, despite his government position.
However MDP parliamentary group leader Hassan Afeef said he believed the MDP could secure support from “the majority of the Alliance” for the Saeed-Anni team.
Party Endorsement
Anni last week secured a landslide victory to become the MDP candidate, with 68 per cent of the party vote.
But he had campaigned heavily on an Alliance platform, leading to wide speculation he would seek a pairing with former attorney general Saeed – an idea believed to have boosted his support in Saeed’s home atoll of Addu.
The plan was not made public until Wednesday, when Anni said he was prepared to become Saeed’s running mate at a meeting in the party’s Harugé centre in Malé.
But the question of party endorsement remains. A proposal on the principle of a joint candidate has now been submitted to the MDP’s National Council, with a vote scheduled for Thursday night.
The proposal refers simply to “a joint candidate from within the Alliance”. Asked whether this ruled out Gasim, currently a vice-president of the ruling Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party (DRP), Afeef said: “If Gasim remains in the DRP he will not be a presidential candidate – the best he could achieve would be a running mate position.”
But he added: “[Gasim] is a person who can understand what the people want and what the reformists are looking for.”
With the Alliance due to meet again next week on the issue, it appears doubtful a final conclusion will be reached by the MDP on Thursday.
And MDP spokespeople would not comment on the possibility of Gasim emerging as an opponent to Saeed and Anni.
Power Sharing
Details of a possible power-sharing arrangement for an Alliance coalition have yet to emerge, but Afeef and Anni said on Thursday they would expect member parties to gain cabinet positions “in proportion to their number of members”.
Asked where that would leave Saeed’s New Maldives colleagues Dr Ahmed Shaheed, given the unregistered movement has no official membership, the MDP leaders called for the former foreign minister to join their party.
“Dr Shaheed has the political insight for a cabinet portfolio. But if he doesn’t belong to a political party he doesn’t have a chance,” said Afeef.
Shaheed was travelling and unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.
Adhaalath Power
With at least six thousand members registered by the Elections Commission, and claiming it actually commands the support of 15,000 Maldivians, the backing of the religious Adhaalath party could be crucial to any Alliance or partial-Alliance candidate.
Adhaalath spokesman Shaheem Ali Said told Minivan News: “The Adhaalath cannot do anything without the MDP, and the MDP cannot do anything by themselves.”
Having declared the party will back another group’s candidate rather than field its own, a five-member Adhaalath committee has started considering the options, according to Shaheem.
But he warned: “If Hassan Saeed and Anni agree on their own sharing, then it is not Alliance.”
Cabinet positions would be secondary for Adhaalath, he added. “The main target is to show a good [candidate] to the people.”
Unacceptable?
Of the remaining Alliance members, the IDP has previously told local newspaper Miadhu it would find an Anni/Saeed team unacceptable.
And head of the Social Liberal Party Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) has repeatedly said he does not support identifying a joint candidate at this stage.
New election regulations require that if no candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the vote initially, a second vote must be held between the two frontrunners. Ibra argues multiple candidates will increase turnout in the first round, meaning incumbent president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom could face a second round against a default opposition candidate.
Ahead of the MDP’s National Council meeting scheduled for Thursday night, Anni said that he believed Saeed “should be the candidate” for the National Unity Alliance of five opposition groups, and added: “We hope [the] Adhaalath [party] will support this combination.”
The pair have long been rumoured to be seeking a joint campaign. But on 29 April the Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) proposed finance minister Gasim Ibrahim as a potential Alliance candidate, despite his government position.
However MDP parliamentary group leader Hassan Afeef said he believed the MDP could secure support from “the majority of the Alliance” for the Saeed-Anni team.
Party Endorsement
Anni last week secured a landslide victory to become the MDP candidate, with 68 per cent of the party vote.
But he had campaigned heavily on an Alliance platform, leading to wide speculation he would seek a pairing with former attorney general Saeed – an idea believed to have boosted his support in Saeed’s home atoll of Addu.
The plan was not made public until Wednesday, when Anni said he was prepared to become Saeed’s running mate at a meeting in the party’s Harugé centre in Malé.
But the question of party endorsement remains. A proposal on the principle of a joint candidate has now been submitted to the MDP’s National Council, with a vote scheduled for Thursday night.
The proposal refers simply to “a joint candidate from within the Alliance”. Asked whether this ruled out Gasim, currently a vice-president of the ruling Dhivehi Raiyyithunge Party (DRP), Afeef said: “If Gasim remains in the DRP he will not be a presidential candidate – the best he could achieve would be a running mate position.”
But he added: “[Gasim] is a person who can understand what the people want and what the reformists are looking for.”
With the Alliance due to meet again next week on the issue, it appears doubtful a final conclusion will be reached by the MDP on Thursday.
And MDP spokespeople would not comment on the possibility of Gasim emerging as an opponent to Saeed and Anni.
Power Sharing
Details of a possible power-sharing arrangement for an Alliance coalition have yet to emerge, but Afeef and Anni said on Thursday they would expect member parties to gain cabinet positions “in proportion to their number of members”.
Asked where that would leave Saeed’s New Maldives colleagues Dr Ahmed Shaheed, given the unregistered movement has no official membership, the MDP leaders called for the former foreign minister to join their party.
“Dr Shaheed has the political insight for a cabinet portfolio. But if he doesn’t belong to a political party he doesn’t have a chance,” said Afeef.
Shaheed was travelling and unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.
Adhaalath Power
With at least six thousand members registered by the Elections Commission, and claiming it actually commands the support of 15,000 Maldivians, the backing of the religious Adhaalath party could be crucial to any Alliance or partial-Alliance candidate.
Adhaalath spokesman Shaheem Ali Said told Minivan News: “The Adhaalath cannot do anything without the MDP, and the MDP cannot do anything by themselves.”
Having declared the party will back another group’s candidate rather than field its own, a five-member Adhaalath committee has started considering the options, according to Shaheem.
But he warned: “If Hassan Saeed and Anni agree on their own sharing, then it is not Alliance.”
Cabinet positions would be secondary for Adhaalath, he added. “The main target is to show a good [candidate] to the people.”
Unacceptable?
Of the remaining Alliance members, the IDP has previously told local newspaper Miadhu it would find an Anni/Saeed team unacceptable.
And head of the Social Liberal Party Ibrahim Ismail (Ibra) has repeatedly said he does not support identifying a joint candidate at this stage.
New election regulations require that if no candidate secures more than 50 per cent of the vote initially, a second vote must be held between the two frontrunners. Ibra argues multiple candidates will increase turnout in the first round, meaning incumbent president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom could face a second round against a default opposition candidate.
