President accepted some of the propositions of MDP: Special Advisor

Dr. Hassan Saeed, Special Advisor to the President, said last night that the President accepted some of the propositions by MDP parliamentarians yesterday.

Dr. Hassan said that some MDP parliamentarians proposed President Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik to agree to hold early presidential elections if the People’s Majlis decided so. “The President agreed to that without any conditions”, said Dr. Hassan.

This proposal came when the President was waiting at the People’s Majlis, after MDP parliamentarians refused yesterday’s Opening Session of the Majlis to be conducted. MDP parliamentarians perpetrated violence inside the Majlis Chamber, claiming that President Dr. Waheed “is a rebel, and he cannot deliver the State of the Nation Address”. The President waited for some 10 hours at the Majlis, before the Speaker announced that the Session would be postponed.

Speaking about the incidents of yesterday at a Press Conference held at the President’s Office last night, Dr. Hassan said that the President had to face challenges as soon as he arrived in the Majlis House. The President tried to settle the differences peacefully, and he spoke to MDP parliamentarians several times on his, and sometimes their own, initiative. “The President accepted some of the propositions”, said Dr. Hassan.

“One of the proposals that the President acceded to is the proposition to decide a date for early presidential election through the Majlis, instead of doing it through discussions among political parties. The President said that he would do it too”, said Dr. Hassan.

Dr. Hassan said that when the President agreed to the request of MDP parliamentarians, they did not express any enthusiasm, and that they went back and did not talk about it anymore.

Dr. Hassan said that MDP members let their emotions to control them, and acted in a way that would disgrace civilized societies, and subjected the nation’s young democracy to serious challenges.

Dr. Hassan did not give details of the other proposals of MDP parliamentarians that the President acceded to.