Nasheed: MDP will not remain in power if Maldives doesn’t switch to parliamentary system

MDP leader and Parliament Speaker, former President Mohamed Nasheed states he doesn’t believe MDP can remain in power if Maldives does not switch to a parliamentary system of governance. 

He made the remark in a message he sent to a MDP WhatsApp group on Saturday evening.  

In his message, Nasheed noted that MDP, though it won the Komandoo by-election, secured less than 50 percent of votes. 

He said that MDP cannot remain in power unless Maldives switches from a presidential to parliamentary system of governance. 

“Thank you. But we failed to pass the 50 percent-mark. We will not remain in power if we don’t switch to parliamentary system,” he said. 

Nasheed has always been an advocate for the implementation of parliamentary system of governance in Maldives. 

On an episode of Ask Speaker last year, Nasheed said Maldives should have a constitutional referendum to decide on switching to a parliamentary system this year, ahead of the presidential elections next year. 

And in a press conference in October, Nasheed said he had shared his wish to switch to a parliamentary system with government coalition partners.