The Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) has decided that their candidate for presidential election will be the party’s leader, a decision made during the first day of the party’s third annual congress.
DRP spokesman Ali Solih said the party decided during today’s meeting that it would not hold primaries to elect the party’s presidential candidate, with “only a few of our supporters calling for primaries.”
DRP’s national congress meeting started at 3pm in Dharubaaruge, with former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom speaking at the opening ceremony.
DRP MP Ahmed Ilham said more than 900 DRP supporters attended the national congress.
He also said that former president Gayoom was given the special title of DRP’s ”Zaeem” (leader).
Former president of Islamic Democratic Party (IDP) and candidate for the DRP’s vice presidency Umar Naseer, who had called for primaries, said he respected the decision of the party.
”An amendment was approved concerning the party’s leadership, including a provision for the party’s leader to become the presidential candidate, which meant the amendment I presented was cancelled,” Umar said.
Spokesman for the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Ahmed Haleem said that DRP’s decision not to hold primaries showed that the party’s members had confidence in current leader Ahmed Thasmeen Ali.
Haleem said he did not want to comment on whether he considered the decision to be democratic.
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Dear Thasmeen, You should have bitten the bullet. For the next 4 years people will continue to doubt your legitimacy, why face an election like that?
It is democratic if ANY MEMBER is allowed to run for party leadership in the first place.
But there was no real election for party leadership in DRP. The party is an elite based party, and the membership is perfectly fine with that.
Hopefully this will invest enough authority and power in Thasmeen's position that he can lead the party in a more moderate path. If the party is continually antagonistic, and stalls development in the Majlis creating a "lame duck government" then the blame will be concentrated in the leadership of DRP - and more specifically Thasmeen.
This increases stability and collective accountability for party actions (even if the same accountability is not afforded the members of DRP itself).
In the opening ceremony of the 3rd DRP Congress today the Speaker of the Majlis (parliament) Abdulla Shahid referred DRP Congress as "Democratic Festival, but one could argue how democratic has been his partisan activities as the Speaker, being very active in DRP activities even after he has been elected as the Speaker of Parliament.
The Westminster model and in the Presidential system of governments once, the Speaker of legislature (parliament) is elected as a speaker plays a nonpartisan role.
The Speaker is elected by the entire chamber and plays a completely impartial administrative and procedural role and must withdraw from all party activities once selected.
thasmeen will be haunted by his lack of a democratic mandate for the next 4 years and his own people will plot and scheme against him to get a chance to run for the presidency. don't believe me: just look at england's goardon brown. he was also given prime minister without an election and all his people turn against him
DRP as an opposition would likely to end here, if MDP offers to forgive Thasmeen's outstanding BML debts.
The winners of DRP congress are Maumoon (for the title of Zaeem) and MDP for being blessed with a lame duck guy.
Good news is more stability for MDP.
I'm afraid DRP is following on from what was left behind by Maumoon. Elitists are surrounded by mindless followers who's vision of success and prosperity is enshrined with the favours and blessings they perceive to receive when their leaders win the government. This will now forever be the cornerstone of DRP.
DRP is founded by a man who had a regime with a certain style. And it is closely following the style of that regime. So what is so surprising?
ignorance is a bliss...........................for those who know how to take advantage of the ignorant.
couldn't have said it better than HassanK (one post above mine)
Is it just me who thinks thasmeen looks like that cartoon character "BAABA PAAPA" (You know the one we used to watch baba papa ')..hehe