Possible to announce support at a later date: Gasim Ibrahim

Jumhoory Party (JP) leader Gasim Ibrahim, who lost the first round of the presidential election and the only remaining leader to announce an alliance for the second round, has said that there is the possibility that he might announce his support “on a personal capacity”, at a later date.

Gasim made the statement while speaking to the press outside his residence Maafannu Villa on Monday night after Speaker of the Parliament Abdulla Shahid and MDP parliamentary group leader MP Ibrahim Mohamed Solih met with Gasim to convince him to support MDP in the second round of the presidential election.

Gasim said he has no grudges against any party or presidential candidate. When asked by Sun if he might declare support to one particular candidate at the very last minute, Gasim said it is a possibility.

“To take the best possible step after considering what is best for the country, that is the best thing to do. Personally, I might not tell you what I think now. But there is the possibility that I might reveal what I want, what I think is best, at a later date, yes? We have no rivalry. All I have is friendship, with everyone,” Gasim said.

Choosing to explain the situation in an analogy of football, Gasim said: “In the final round, all players will consider that there might be a potential player in the team that failed. They’ll try to figure out a way to let the player play,” Gasim said.

He said Jumhoory Party’s council had decided not to support a candidate for the second round, a decision that is liable to change. He said that different people have come to his home seeking support all throughout Monday.

He noted that there are similarities between JP’s and MDP’s economic policies and that he is “a man working for reform, rather than a bit politician,” and that it might be the reason for his repeated failure in the presidential elections.

“Because since 1984, it disturbs me when people call me a politician. Maybe the way I think is different from a politician’s. Maybe that’s the reason I fall back in these rounds,” Gasim said.

Following Gasim’s remarks, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said that he is hopeful that Gasim will decide to support MDP and that he has found new confidence of being able to work with Gasim in the future.