Asma, Mundhu and top ministers among six candidates contesting for PNC vice-president roles

Senior political figures, including Maafannu Central MP Asma Rasheed and her son, senior government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), have filed their nominations for the post of Vice President of the ruling PNC.

A total of six candidates have so far expressed interest in contesting for the vice-president post in the upcoming PNC congress elections scheduled for September.

The candidates are:

• Asma Rasheed, MP for Maafannu Central  

• Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), Senior Government Spokesperson  

• Mohamed Saeed, Minister of Economic Development  

• Abdullah Rafiu, Minister of Youth  

• Ibrahim Shujau, MP for Baarah  

• Fathimath Saudha, MP for Nilandhoo  

Among them, Saeed, Mundhu and Shujau currently hold deputy positions within the PNC.

Announcing his candidacy, Minister Saeed wrote on X that he has remained in the party “with courage and determination in the service of the country and the people.”

Shujau also outlined his reasons for seeking re-election, noting that he was among the few who “did not leave with the party president” and had “dared to stand up against the MDP.”

Relations between Maafannu Central MP Asma Rasheed and President Dr Mohamed Muizzu have been strained for more than a year, following internal disagreements over senior roles within PNC. Asma and her son, senior government spokesperson Mohamed Hussain Shareef (Mundhu), had both sought key positions during the party’s restructuring phase, creating friction with the President’s faction. The tension became public late last year when Asma, then chair of a committee organising a community meeting in Maafannu, was removed from the role after disagreements over how public feedback would be collected.

The rift deepened in April last year when an audio recording surfaced in which Asma expressed dissatisfaction with the government. After the leak, both Mundhu and his sister, Maldives’ Permanent Representative to Geneva Dr. Salma Rasheed, were dismissed from their posts. The incident marked one of the most visible internal disputes within PNC at the time.

Dr. Salma was later reinstated, and President Muizzu subsequently appointed Mundhu as Chief Spokesperson of the Government at ministerial rank, signalling a partial easing of tensions. Despite the past disagreements, both Asma and Mundhu are now contesting for senior party positions in the upcoming congress, placing them in direct competition with sitting deputy leaders including Mohamed Saeed and Ibrahim Shujau, making this one of the most closely watched internal elections within PNC.