Ex-pres Yameen picks Jameel as running mate

Former Maldivian president Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom has picked Dr. Mohamed Jameel Ahmed, his lead attorney, and his running mate in the 2013 election, as his running mate again, for the upcoming presidential election.

Heena Waleed, the spokesperson for Yameen’s Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM), confirmed the decision on Sunday.

Jameel had been Yameen’s first vice president after he was elected to office in 2013. However, Jameel was ousted in a no-confidence vote submitted to the Parliament by the PPM in 2015, and was replaced by then-tourism minister Ahmed Adeeb Abdul Gafoor.

Following his ouster, Jameel led the ‘United Opposition’ movement against Yameen’s administration.

He went into self-imposed exile in the UK after he was implicated in a court warrant for Yameen’s arrest.

He had remained in UK until the end of Yameen’s administration.

After Yameen’s election defeat in 2018, Jameel joined Jumhoory Party (JP) - part of the coalition government – but left the party to rejoin PPM.

He was later appointed Yameen’s lead attorney in the cases against him.

Yameen was sentenced to 11 years in prison on December 25, 2022, after he was found guilty of bribery and money laundering charges in connection to the sale of V. Aarah for resort development.

The conviction – if it is not overturned - will disqualify him from contesting the upcoming presidential election.

The High Court last held a hearing in the case on July 5th, and has not scheduled a new one since then.

The opposition leader’s political allies and supporters have expressed concern over the delay in appeal proceedings, which they see as a deliberate move by the government to prevent him from contesting the upcoming presidential election.

Though his eligibility for the September 9th election continues to hang in the balance, his party, the PPM continues to insist that Yameen is their only choice for a presidential candidate.