Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, the opposition coalition’s presidential candidate, has said that it was doubtful that the current “green” Constitution would exist if Jumhoree Party (JP) leader Qasim Ibrahim had not been the head of the drafting committee.

Solih said this during his speech at the ceremony held on Friday night to mark JP’s 10-year anniversary.

At the ceremony, Solih said that Qasim’s work to bring about the Maldives Constitution should be noted and that his role in bringing reform to the country is crucial.

Solih said that Qasim is still making great sacrifices and that his wife, Aishath Nahula, getting into politics means that the opposition’s work is not just for political reasons.

Solih also highlighted that Qasim worked to establish a party back when there were many obstructions to doing so and said that he first began talking to Qasim on the phone during those days. He noted that Qasim was one of the 42 people who gave their signature to form Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

He said that having JP in the opposition coalition will result in them winning the election by a huge margin and bringing about a coalition government.

Also noting how JP elected the running mate for the coalition, Solih praised the party for upholding democratic principles internally.