Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP)’s Chairperson Hassan Latheef has said that the party will continue work to free its leader, former President Mohamed Nasheed.

Hassan Latheef said this on RaajjeTV’s Fala Surukhee programme on Sunday night.

MDP had, at its third national congress on Saturday, passed a resolution electing parliamentary group leader Ibrahim Mohamed Solih as its candidate for September’s election. A clause in the resolution states that Nasheed will become the candidate if he was allowed to contest “even if at the last minute”.

The resolution was proposed and approved following Nasheed’s withdrawal from the presidential race despite having won the party ticket with over 40,000 votes in its primary. Nasheed withdrew after Elections Commission maintained that he will not be allowed to contest, citing his 2015 conviction on terror charges.

Latheef said that the reason Nasheed will replace Solih as candidate if he was allowed to contest is because “it is what the people want”, but that Solih will contest in the event Nasheed cannot.

“We do not believe that any election held without Nasheed’s name [on the ballot paper] will be just. This does not mean that we will boycott the election. But an election can only be free and fair only if elected candidates are able to contest”, said the MDP chair.

Latheef further spoke on the government’s call to renew all-party talks, saying that while he does not believe that there is a reason for talks, neither MDP nor the Joint Opposition has made a decision on the matter.