PNC congress votes to hand 2028 ticket to President Muizzu without a primary

The ruling People’s National Congress (PNC) has decided to hand its 2028 presidential ticket to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu without holding a primary.

The decision was made by the unanimous consensus of the PNC congress on Thursday, following a resolution submitted by party member Abdulla Ibrahim proposing that the party not hold a primary for the 2028 presidential elections but hand its ticket to President Muizzu, easing his re-election bid.

The resolution, which declares that President Muizzu deserves to be handed the ticket “in appreciation of his invaluable services for the country’s independence, economy and social welfare since assuming office” passed with a unanimous vote of 1,119.

Unlike other votes at the congress, which was carried out electronically, Thursday’s vote was conducted by a show of hands.

The resolution describes President Muizzu’s rule as “compassionate and just” and highlights reason why he deserves the ticket. This includes:

• Ascertaining that there’s no foreign military presence in the Maldives, and acquiring modern equipment to boost the country’s maritime security capabilities.
• Efforts to modernize tourism, fisheries and agriculture and diversify the economy while repaying the country’s debt without inconveniencing the people.
• Providing permanent solutions to housing needs through projects such as ‘Rasmale’, the introduction of digital economy, international payment gateway, and development of healthcare sector.
• Adopting a foreign policy centered around prioritizing national interests and maintaining the country’s Islamic faith and national identity.

No one else within the PNC has publicly expressed any interest in running for the 2028 elections, with many top party officials declaring their backing for President Muizzu’s re-election.

PNC, now the country’s largest political party with over 60,000 members, was founded by former President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom as a safety net after the ownership of the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) came under legal dispute.

A criminal conviction that was later overturned had disqualified Yameen from contesting the 2023 presidential elections. Though he initially asked the then-opposition PPM-PNC coalition to boycott the election, he later endorsed President Muizzu, who won the vote taken by the coalition’s joint senate to produce a backup candidate.

But less than a week after President Muizzu took office in November 2023, Yameen left the ruling PPM-PNC and initiated efforts to form a new party, the People’s National Front (PNF).

He later grew increasingly vocal in his criticism of President Muizzu’s administration, and has announced his own intentions of running for the 2028 elections.

Several politicians from the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have also expressed interest in entering the presidential race. This includes former President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, former Foreign Minister Abdulla Shahid, former Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail, and South Hulhumale’ MP Dr. Ahmed Shamheed.