Salim Waheed also endorses President Solih for runoff

Jeffrey Salim Waheed, the son of former president Dr. Mohamed Waheed, has decided to endorse ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s candidate President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the runoff round of the presidential election.

Speaking to Sun regarding his decision, Salim said he presently serves as a special advisor and a council member of the Jumhoory Party (JP). In this trajectory, he added that his decision to endorse President Solih for the runoff had been a personal decision.

Salim, who had previously been with opposition Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) for 10 years, said his has no trust in the leadership of the opposition PPM-PNC (People’s National Congress) coalition in light of past experiences.

“PPM and PNC are moving in the path of the diplomatic war. If they come to power, the price of this war will be our whole nation,” he stressed.

He went onto describe the opposition PPM-PNC coalition’s presidential candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu as an individual does not possess the capability to address security and financial concerns through comprehensive negotiations. On the contrary, he described President Solih as an individual who can establish a transparent foreign policy.

Salim is renowned in the foreign affairs field, boasting years of experience.

Former president Waheed resigned from PPM after the party decided against rallying a candidate for the presidential election. At the time, he was serving as a special advisor to the party. After his exit – he joined Jumhoory Party (JP).

He entered the political arena in 2008, as the running mate of then-presidential candidate of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), former president Mohamed Nasheed. At that time, he had his own political party, under the name ‘Gaumee Itthihaadh’.