Nasheed: Will return before the election, must not over throw Yameen’s presidency

Former President Mohamed Nasheed has said that he would be returning to the Maldives before the 2018 Presidential Election and the presidency of President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom must not be overthrown.

Speaking on Raajje TV’s “Falasurukhee” (Headline) program from the UK, Nasheed, who has been sentenced to 13 years in prison, said that he does not intended to live the rest of his life abroad.

The ex-President said that with God’s Will he would return to the country and if it means to a prison cell, that’s where he would go. And with God’s Will he would return before the Presidential Election.

President Nasheed said that he was sent to UK after discussing with foreign consultants since keeping him in prison was a difficult for President Yameen and the government.

He said that inmates are not usually sent to UK for medical treatment and instead, they are sent to countries within the region.

Ex-President Nasheed said that he has had spine problems for a long time and he has sought treatment since he could come to the UK and his spine problem is much better now.

Noting that arriving in the UK is a victory, Nasheed said that he has now realized what must be done to fix the country.

He said that if he was going to overthrow the government, he would say so clearly but he does not want that to happen. And he said that he wants a fair election.

President Nasheed said that he is 100 percent sure that he can run in the 2018 Election.

While the former President has made the remark, the Constitution says that a person serving a criminal sentence of over one year cannot run in the Presidential Election.