Qasim Ibrahim, the presidential candidate of the Jumhooree Party (JP), has made a commitment to waive loans for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and rents for tenants residing in various state-initiated social housing units.
At a campaign event held in Hulhumale' Phase II, Qasim criticised past administrations for providing loans to various groups without clear regulations and accused them of using loans to influence political affiliations. He highlighted the lack of a balanced approach in loan distribution, leading to overspending on certain projects. As such, he pledged to forgive all SME loans and social housing rents. He also vowed to alleviate the financial burden on students enrolled at Villa College by forgiving loans.
Highlighting the current political situation, Qasim said that politicians are always expected to visit the atolls with hopeful promises once every five years. He urged the public to ignore the size of the political parties when casting their vote and to not make a decision they would regret later, warning that electing the wrong person would undermine national independence.