President: Qasim wanted to join coalition, was 'forced' to contest

President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that JP leader Qasim Ibrahim revealed to him that he is contesting this year's presidential election on the advice of some people close to him, by compulsion.

Speaking on Raajje TV's "Fashaairu" program today, President Solih said tha the reason Qasim and he could not form a coalition was not because they could not agree on specific things.

“They said that they are satisfied with our policies and the way things are going. They also believe that they can work with the MDP in the future,” President Solih said.

President Solih said, however, that Qasim confided that some of those close to him had a different opinion.

“Qasim always said he was ready to do it. I think it is best for the country and we should move forward together,” President Solih said. 

“However, Qasim mentioned that some of the advisers close to him said they had different views. So, I am running in this election in a compulsory situation. That’s what Qasim is saying.”

President Solih said Qasim is one of the people who knows the political situation in Maldives best. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he was only able to get the latest information from those close to him, he said, adding that Qasim's decision to contest separately may have happened because of that.

Gasim decided to contest the presidential election after a vote at the JP congress. After that, some of the party's leaders have left the party.

Qasim even held discussions with the then faction of the MDP “Fikurehge Dhirun”, as well as PPM,  MRM and MNP. However, none of the discussions yielded any positive results.