Will draw half the salary, want to live in own home: President-elect Abdulla Yameen

Maldives President-elect Abdulla Yameen has said he prefers to live in his own home and collect half the presidential salary, after assuming office on Sunday.

Speaking to the press after winning the presidential election, Yameen said, if his security personnel permits, he would prefer to sleep in his own home.

“I am planning to go home to sleep tonight. God willing, I will sleep at home tomorrow too. I don’t intend to, if my security allows, to move somewhere else,” Yameen said.

Yameen said his campaign pledged are fresh in his memory and that he will draw half the presidential salary as promised during the election.

“God willing, just the way I have promised, I will not say no to the pledges I made. So my salary will start, just as I’ve said, from half the salary,” Yameen said.

When asked of his goals for the economy, Yameen said the coming two years will be tough, but said he will accomplish most goals by the start of the third year.

“We predict the first two years might not be the easiest. But we hope, once we receive 48 months or 24 months, we will bring the budget to a surplus in the third year. There will be difficulties. But where there is hope, there is room for progress,” Yameen said.

Speaking of the top-heavy style of government employed by former president Mohamed Nasheed, the new president-elect said he will establish a government with low recurrent spending, as promised during his campaign.

Yameen also said it will be initially difficult to work with so many coalition partners, but said that he hopes to receive the full cooperation of all party leader and that they are already aware that they will need to “tightly strap-in” for the first two years of the presidency.

“We still plan to reduce political posts. But along with that, when we have so many parties with us, we will try to do whatever we can to make sure they participate. But even with that, our main plan has not changed,” Yameen said.

Abdulla Yameen won the second round of the presidential election with 51.6 percent. He is scheduled to take oath of office at 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, shortly after the Elections Commission announces the final run-off results.

Yameen said he will share details of his intended cabinet after he takes oath on Sunday.