Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has conceded defeat in the presidential primary of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).
In a WhatsApp message sent to an MDP group, Speaker Nasheed accepted that President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih could have won the primary by a small margin considering the voters' list. He added that he does not believe the presidential election scheduled to be held in September can be secured under President Solih. He, therefore, proposed to include the 39,000 or more members which were excluded from the MDP registry.
Furthermore, Speaker Nasheed said a candidate supporting establishing a parliamentary system can secure his support easily. However, President Solih has said he supports the presidential system. He has also called on party members to set aside their differences to work together to win the upcoming presidential election.
President Solih secured the MDP presidential ticket in a landslide victory, winning the majority in all the atolls. He also won the majority in all high-population regions, except Kulhudhuffushi City. As such, President Solih received 51% of the votes in Male’ City, 52% of the votes in Addu City, and 53% in Fuvahmulah City.
Overall, President Solih won the primary election with 61%, which is 24,572 votes, while his rival Speaker Nasheed received 39%, which is 15,631 votes. Around 57,000 members were eligible to vote in the primary.
The main ruling MDP has announced it will present the presidential ticket to President Solih in February.