The Jumhooree Party’s (JP’s) national executive council has decided to endorse Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) candidate Abdulla Yameen in the second round of the presidential election scheduled for November 16.
JP presidential candidate Gasim Ibrahim told the press following the council meeting that the decision was approved with a “comfortable majority.”
While the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) manifesto had a number of similarities with the JP’s, Gasim said the JP and PPM manifestos shared more in common.
Gasim said he hoped Yameen would be elected and appealed for his supporters to vote for the PPM candidate. The business tycoon added that he would participate in the PPM campaign.
Yameen, who polled 29.73 percent (61,295) in the first round of the presidential election, is due to face MDP candidate Mohamed Nasheed, who won 46.93 percent (96,747) of the vote, in a run-off election on Saturday after neither candidate reached the required 50 percent plus one vote.
Gasim finished in third place with 23.37 percent in the November 9 revote and announced the following day that the party’s council had decided not to back either candidate.
However, both the MDP and PPM had sought Gasim’s endorsement this week. Following a meeting yesterday with the PPM figurehead, former President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, Gasim told the press that he would ask the council to reconsider its decision.
A number of JP, PPM and MDP supporters gathered outside the JP’s main campaign headquarters at Maafanu Kunooz while the council meeting was ongoing. The meeting lasted more than four hours.
While the JP council has 29 members, not all were present at today’s meeting.
Dhivehi Qaumee Party MP Riyaz Rasheed and Adhaalath Party President Sheikh Imran Abdulla were present before the start of the meeting at 4:15pm today. The pair left around 5:20pm.
Riyaz however returned around 6:15pm with JP council member and youth wing leader Moosa Anwar, who later tweeted that he was “proud to convince council members that Nasheed is not a choice.”
A dissenting JP council member, Moosa Rameez, tweeted shortly after the meeting that the JP council has “approved maintaining Maumoon’s family rule with 15 votes.”
The council reportedly decided to back Yameen with 15 votes in favour and five abstentions. The five who abstained were former Transport Minister Dr Ahmed Shamheed, JP President Dr Ibrahim Didi, Secretary General Hassan Shah, Moosa Rameez and Dr Hussain Rasheed Hassan.
JP Leader Gasim, who chaired the council meeting, reportedly did not participate in the vote or argue in favour of supporting either candidate before calling the vote.
Didi and Shah were formerly senior MDP members while Dr Hussain Rasheed was State Minister for Fisheries in the MDP government. Dr Shamheed had declared that he was “with President Nasheed in the second round” after the announcement of the provisional results on November 9.
JP’s Male’ City Council member Ahmed Hameed ‘Fly’ meanwhile alleged to local media that PPM bribed council members to influence the decision.
Speaking in the state broadcaster Television Maldives’ (TVM’s) Raajje Miadhu programme after the JP council decision tonight, Yameen expressed confidence of winning Saturday’s election with Gasim’s 48,131 votes.
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Qasim is back in business with PPM
If Qasim want to fail Yameen this is a better approach: spoil PPM from inside than outside
🙂
Why couldn't they have done this 2 months ago? Thanks for the massive waste of time and money. After Saturday, PPM can get back to lining their pockets while the country goes broke. Wait, the country is already broke so that's done. See part of their work is already accomplished!
It's still the voters who decide, not the party council. JP-voters who already wanted to vote for PPM, will still do that. JP-voters who don't feel like doing so, will still not do that.
This endorsement doesn't make a big difference.
Democracy in MDP's book is rule by one and only Nasheed! not by the majority of the people!
Saturday is going to be a big day!
Gasim has abandoned his loyal supporters in one stroke. That's what this shows. I don't believe that Gasim supporters are necessarily going to automatically follow his orders and his wishes. I'm sure they know full well what happened in the last 30 years.
Gasim is now kissing Gayyoom claiming Gayyoom as the father of democracy! So, if PPM does come to power we can expect what kind of democracy will prevail.
Can this nation be saved?
I don't understand why MDP is so obsessed with the 30 years, we have a new Constitution since 2008, as per the constitution the 3 powers has been separated, a number of Independent Commissions has been setup, what we need to do is strengthen these Institutions. International Community can provide training and technical assistance to strengthen the Judiciary as well.
Nasheed did too may mistakes during his short rule, attacked the Civil Service and Politicized the Civil Service. Cut their salaries and spent that money to provide jobs to his party activists.
MDP needs reform, flush dirts like Jabir and Hamid first.
Mr. He is back, You think we are fools. Gasim is a packet of condoms. We used 2 condoms to the maximum pleasure and now the last one in the packet also we shall use to the maximum pleasure for our a Royal. Umar said there will be no body willing to form a coalition with Yamin. The former new Maldives team who stabbed MAG in the back in 2008 are also back with us except Shaheed and we have no doubt he shall return to papa too. The whole Maldives have now will vote to bring back the golden 30 years and the whole international community will fall over each other to congratulate our Royal come 17th. If the citizens take a stupid decision on 16th, hold no doubts that we shall activate all the ways and means available to us to ascertain Nasheed will not hold the reigns again. Fishermen and peasants better decide in our Royals favor.
What was not astonishing was Gayyoom's praise for the 4 in the Supreme Court! He went as far as saying they defended Islam. So, we have to ask the citizens of this 100% Muslim country this question. Did Ali Hameed defend Islam? In what capacity did he do that? As a Muslim? As a serial adulterer?
We can see clearly whose direction those 4 were following. Saturday will seal the fate of Maldivians for a very long time to come; many many generations. Do not let the tyrants take over our lives.
@Ahmed Bin Addu Bin Suvadheeb
"Can this nation be saved?"
I think not my friend.
I must admit I did blink when the prospect of Gasim endorsing Nasheed was mooted and felt the hope begin to spring within me, but I should have known better.
Some commentator put it far more eloquently than I could ever do some time ago and to put it simply that all the politicians are too selfish for the people of the Maldives to benefit.
If there is one criticism I have of Nasheed its this: He tends to shoot his mouth off too much.
We have a saying in Europe "Keep your powder dry" relating of course to the muskets used in olden warfare.
If you compare Gayoom, Gasim and Yameen especially, with Nasheed, the former tend to be less vocal and play things closer to their chest.
Nasheed is a bit too 'mouthy' and by apologising to Gasim, he has lost face and will now find it hard to retract that apology, deserving or otherwise.
At the very worst with combined vote the PPM will probably win at the very best you are going to have a tie and continued run offs.
In the end, the general population will get tired, begin to doubt Nasheed can win and just stop turning up to vote. Together with the erosion of MDP members being removed through legal action or other methods and you will see the PPM win a credible majority.
The International community will have to accept it because its what they have been preaching, so expect no help there.
I think the Maldives will have to wait until 2018 before they get another chance at Democracy.
As much as I dislike the PPM/JC you have to admire the effectiveness of their tactics. Its been very clever. Nasheed is too 'nice' (sic) to win this election.
What an admirable goal. Dajjal Nasheed and the MalDeviant Democratic Party shall be vanquished by Yameen as Abu Bakr, may Allah be please with him, once vanquished the murtad Musaylimah and his degenerate followers during the wars of Ridda. Alhamdulillaah.
Gasim is showing his true colours.
He is just a puppet who has spent a lot of money to maintain the dictatorship and the people should bear in mind how he has wasted public funds by cancelling a free and fair election and then give his support to his old master!!!
Nasheed, depends too much on PR rather than substance. The plastic and paint layers are already peeling off and need of repair
Nasheed was on TVM program dressed as a performance magicion wearing a funeral coat decorated with a massive ROSE together with the presenter. He was dressed for a funeral if not a wedding and it reeked of dumb PR
in contrast Yameen was on the same program last night wearing just a shirt and tie. He did not look excessive like a circus
One difference between the two is dependence on TV marketing
I agree - this coalition should have been agreed in good time before the elections where both would announce their support whoever came out from first round.
However, now that it has been a fact, lets hope it happened in time to ensure Yamin to win.
Personally, i am not sure if even Yamin will make a good President - that remains to see.
There is a shortage of good presidential candidates with the character, charisma, authority, leadership and trust. Anything could happen with either of these candidates.
Nasheed has proven that he is not mature enough and his mafia too strong for him to really have a go for change in this country.
His politics and methods smells more of a personal vendetta against the past more than a aim for a better future.
But Nasheed is important in oposition where he will play a vital role onwards for the balance of politics in its making for Maldives.
If he only could review his rhetoric, methods and some of the uncivilized thugs close to him, he might be a fine future President too.
Yameen : do we give you the benefit of doubt? How much influence would Maumoon and his family be? The fact that Maumoons family, the endheri-sector was against you, makes me want to consider you and give you benefit of doubt. I have not seen you rule with power. May be you will do good, but it's a gamble.
But, it all depends on how much Anni has learnt from the mistakes he made last round. The likes of Reeko Moosa, Aslam Shakir, etc etc... Who just rant more than they deliver... Needs to chopped from the lead team.
It's 48% vs 52% Anni stills leads for me... Got 2 more days...
I don't give a rats arse about religion-save-mission you have embarked on, for which I would similar points for both of you, but I do care about how you can make economic and social progress/development the nation desperately needs. This is what will count for my vote...
People of the Maldives know that Gaasim is a "boa neiiyy burumaa".
People are not going to vote for Yaamin, just because Gaasim said so. This is proven. Gaasim even hoped to win the Presidential election.
But, what happened. People take money from Gaasim and consider him a FOOL.
Qasim can never leave the pack of wolves for he was deeply involved in the coup de tat in 2011. The judges who he financed to annul the first round on 7th September and his bro in law C P and his intended Defence minister Nazim will never let him join MDP. The same fate befell on Mohamed Waheed and he have destroyed his reputation internationally. MDP will win this election because no sensible rational mind would want to go back to the 30 years family rule.
Not that the Maldivian people deserve him (most of us are narrow minded xenophobic blowhards), Nasheed will win.
We never had reliable opinion polls, until now, i.e. the annulled election serving as an opinion poll. The annulled results of Sept 7th when compared with the recent 1st round, show a clear pattern. I will attempt to explain this -
Speaking in terms of percentages, with Dr. Waheed out of the picture, his famous 5% was released back into the pool. Based on the % of increase gained by Yameen and Nasheed in the first round, we can calculate that the 23.3% left by Gasims' exit would increase Yameens' share to 48%, a win for Nasheed.
However one can claim that Waheed did not explicitly endorse any candidate, unlike Gasim, therefore those who voted for Gasim are more likely to vote for Yameen. I would say, those who voted for Waheed hated Nasheed more (for obvious reasons). This means Gasims' endorsement would only increase the likelihood of his voters to choose Yameen over Nasheed to the level of those who voted for Waheed.
So ladies and gentlemen, get ready to congratulate President Nasheed on the 16th of November. He will likely be arrested the same evening. But that is another story.
Hussain I truely hope so - my thoughts are with you all for success on Saturday no-one can want a pair of childish cheating whingers who gang up like bullies to govern.
If PPM will win the presidential election, nasheed will face his court trial & will be sentence to jail in relation of arresting the chief judge. Meanwhile if MDP wins, nasheed will arrest all the judges who's against with MDP. It's more on politics & personal gain. Choose the best candidate for everyone's suffrage.
Only one issue is important - economy and jobs
Most institutions are under PPM control so they have the machinery in place to kick start the economy.
For MDP it's a long path even if election is won. We can sympathize with MDP as a victim and we do. But what's needed are results.
PPM has more clout to do things. Be practical and vote PPM. Also pray for MDP
Gasim did the right thing. Now PPM signs voters list, we get to vote and Gasim's family and supporters will vote MDP!