Azleen: MUO has no Presidential Candidate, it’s a failure

Home Minister Azleen Ahmed has said the Maldives United Opposition (MUO) does not have a candidate for the 2018 Presidential Election.

In an interview with Sun Media, Minister Azleen said that not having a Presidential Candidate is a failure for the MUO.

Even the members of MDP believe that not everyone can be a President of the Maldives, said the Home Minister, and the MDP members trusted the former President Nasheed and gave him the MDP ticket but he resigned.

Minister Azleen said that even MDP believes that Nasheed is no longer capable of being the President of the Maldives.

The next person in line at MUO to run for President is the former Vice President, Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed and the Home Minister Azleen said that MDP members do not want him since he has very harshly criticized President Nasheed in the past.

Home Minister Azleen said that from the moment a name, aside from President Mohamed Nasheed’s, is cast as the Presidential Candidate, the MUO would break up. The Minister said that it is impossible for the MUO to show a leader.

Minister Azleen said that as MUO stands, they do not have anyone that can compete with President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom in the 2018 Presidential Election.

In regards to the Home Minister’s comments, the MP for Hithadhoo constituency and member of the MDP National Council, Ali Niyaz said that MUO would first work to create an interim government.

And only after that, according MP Niyaz, would the MUO try to get a Presidential Candidate.

MP Niyaz said that there is no weight in the words by the Home Minister Azleen and there are people who can run for President among the people seen nonstop at the political movements by MDP. And he said that the Minister can accuse MDP of not having a candidate if they fail to produce one when the Elections Commission opens the application of candidacy.

He said that President Yameen has decided to run for the President against the decision by the PPM President, Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and that is a failure on PPM.

Niyaz said that the work by MDP to make the government answerable to their acts of cruelty, and address the challenges serves as proof that they have not failed since a large number of people are with them and the world is watching.