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President says he will not run in parliamentary election

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that he will focus on strengthening the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) and will not be running in the parliamentary election.

At a post-election press conference, President Solih said that the most important he could do after leaving office is to hold the government accountable. As such, he said that he plans to strengthen MDP and prepare the party for the parliamentary election, instead of running for a seat.

Additionally, President Solih responded to Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed's remark that he would rejoin MDP if he has 50% of the support of the party's national council. President Solih said that experience has shown that the party should move on instead of trying to gain the favour of one person. He added that members are not particularly enthusiastic about Nasheed rejoining the party but that anyone is open to join by submitting the membership application.

Furthermore, President Solih said that 99% of the national council members are not in favour of changing governance to a parliamentary system. He expressed his opinion that the presidential system if the best system of government for the Maldives. He added that he remains committed to serving the country and strengthening his party.