Solih and Faisal vouch for their confidence in each other

“I have complete confidence in Faisal. I don’t see Faisal betraying the public. I believe he will work within the rule of law. I believe a person elected as a Vice President will work as a Vice President,” said President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (Ibu) when asked about his confidence in the VP-designate Faisal Naseem.

History attests to multiple incidents of betrayal of confidence and power struggles between presidents and vice presidents.

Such a betrayal is believed to be the downfall of former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed’s administration.

Nasheed resigned was elected to office in 2008 but resigned on February 7, 2012 under disputed circumstances. Nasheed’s supporters believe he was betrayed by his VP Dr. Mohamed Waheed Hassan Manik – who went on to become Nasheed’s successor –an allegation denied by Dr. Waheed.

The most recent Maldivian President, President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom had three VPs. His first VP, Mohamed Jameel Ahmed was impeached by the Parliament in 2015 following allegations he attempted a coup. The second VP, Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor – the world’s youngest vice president at the time – was dismissed by Yameen following allegations he made an assassination attempt – and currently sits in prison.

Solih is of the opinion that such incidents occurred due to VPs being sidelined, or being overwhelmed with responsibilities.

“We need to take a look at the Constitution when talking about betrayals by VPs. The Constitution does not detail the responsibilities of a VP. So it’s not clear what can be done, and what cannot,” said Solih.

Solih said the responsibilities of a VP needs to be detailed in the Constitution – which currently states the responsibilities of a VP as those assigned to him/her by the President.

“That the Vice President’s duties are that which is assigned to him by the President – this leads to different things happening to the VP during different terms. Sometimes, a lot of powers is bestowed upon the VP, and other times, we hear the VP isn’t given any responsibility,” said Solih, stressing the need for consistency.

Solih, a veteran parliamentarian, said he was involved in the drafting of the new Constitution and that he was one of the parliamentarians who advocated for the need of a vice president.

He stressed the need for continuance of government with successful completion on five-year presidential terms and no mid-term elections.

Solih said that his VP, Faisal Naseem, having worked at both the Parliament and the Special Parliament was more than well-versed in the duties and responsibilities of a VP.

“If I were given the opportunity to select a person to lead Maldives, it would be Ibrahim Mohamed Solih,” said Faisal, when asked about his confidence in Solih.

He said he was 100 percent confident the rule of the people will prevail during Solih’s administration.

Faisal said he considers Solih an exemplary parliamentarian “second to none”.

He described Solih as empathetic, and said he possessed all the admirable qualities a person can possess.

“To me, President-elect Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is not a stranger at all. We worked closely together at the Special Parliament,” said Faisal.

Solih and Faisal are scheduled to take their oath of office this Saturday evening.

Both vouch for their confidence and each other, and it is this confidence that the peace and stability of the Maldives will be dependent on for the next five years.